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Sovereigns

HALF SOVEREIGN SPECS:

Technical Specifications
Item Attribute Specification
Half Sovereign Diameter 19.30 mm.
Half Sovereign Weight 3.99 grams
Half Sovereign Alloy 22 carat
Half Sovereign Fine Gold Content 3.658 grams / 0.1177 troy ounces
All weights approximate. Typical High Street retail price for these rings would be up to about £150.
Buying from us will save you up to about £50.

FULL SOVEREIGN SPECS:
British Gold Sovereigns - Information 1489 or 1817?
Although the first British gold sovereign was issued in 1489 for Henry VII, the modern gold sovereign commenced in 1817 under George III.

A Real Coin
The sovereign was a real circulating coin until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. At about this time, most countries in the world reduced or stopped production of gold coins for circulation, and switched to a "token" coinage. By 1933, almost every country had stopped gold coin production, and it did not restart until about 1960. Even now, there are no countries where any gold coins regularly circulate as part of the coinage system.

Sovereign Production Restarted
The production of gold sovereigns, as bullion coins, restarted in 1957. There have been a number of breaks in production.

Proofs
From 1979, the Royal Mint started to produce special edition proof versions for collectors, and these are now likely to be produced every year.

2000 & The Third Millennium
After a break from 1982, the Royal Mint has again started production of "ordinary" sovereigns in 2000, and it is possible that they too will be produced in following years. We give below a table showing the technical specifications of modern sovereigns.

Technical Specifications For all modern gold sovereigns, i.e. from 1817

Diameter: 22.05 mm.
Weight: 7.98 grams.
Alloy: 22 Carats
Fineness: 916.6 millesimal
Actual Gold Content: 7.315 Grams
Actual Gold Content: 0.2354 Troy Ounces