 British Gold Sovereigns - Information
1489 or 1817?
The first British gold sovereign was issued in 1489 for Henry VII, the modern gold sovereign was first issued in 1817 in the reign of 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, meaning that the intrinsic value of the coin was low.
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 and 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.
Gold Sovereigns Technical Specifications
For all modern gold sovereigns, i.e. from 1817
| Diameter |
22.05 mm |
| Weight |
7.98 grams |
| Alloy (Carats) |
22 |
| Fineness (millesimal*) |
916.6 |
| Actual Gold Content (grams) |
7.315 |
| Actual Gold Content (Troy ounces) |
0.2354 |
* parts per thousand |
