Gold Sovereign History
The British Gold Sovereign was first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England. Typically, this bullion coin had a value of one pound sterling (or 20 shillings) was originally minted in 23-carat gold and depicted the King seated on his throne on the coin's obeverse and the Royal Coat of Arms on the reverse. Later, Henry VIII changed the coin's purity to 22-carat, which eventually became the British and United States standard.
The modern Gold Sovereign was introduced in 1817 when the brilliant Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci who had been appointed to the Royal Mint the previous year, introduced a bold new theme to the Gold Sovereign: St George slaying the Dragon which remains on the coin today nearly two-hundred years after it's introduction.
A new die for the 2007 and 2008 bullion issues was created by the Royal Mint, with 2007 reverse die based on a beautiful handmade original created by Pistrucci which was then reworked to create new master tools. In 2008, the Mint redesigned the St. George depiction further using digital technology to add clearer details, and a sharper image of the horse giving it a slightly different appearance than previous versions. Consequently, 2008 sovereigns have a slightly different appearance from the 2007 specimens.
In January 2009, the Royal Mint announced that for the production of the 2009 Gold Sovereign Coins the original, unmodified tools of the nineteenth century were used for the first time in the modern production of the coin, while featuring Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon, while capturing many of the same individual characteristics as 1820's version of the coin.
Gold Sovereigns make a great addition to any coin collection or portfolio of gold bullion coins. The portability, privacy and promise of instant liquidity around the globe make these beautiful and highly-respected 22-karat coin coins one of the top choices of collectors and investors worldwide.
