Sovereign Types
Modern milled Sovereigns are minted in several different denominations which are:
Quarter Sovereigns, Half Sovereigns, Sovereigns & Double Sovereigns.
A gold Five Sovereign was also minted as a pattern in 1820 for George III, however we won’t include this in our description as it wasn’t meant for circulation.
Some people also call the more modern Two Pound and Five Pound coins, Two Sovereign and Five Sovereign coins respectively which also leads to some confusion.
Different Types Of Sovereigns
Quarter Sovereigns
Quarter Sovereigns were first produced in 2009. The reverse design is a re-worked (cut) version of the Pistrucci ‘s classic design. It is also the smallest legal British tender coin gold coin.
Weight: 2 grams, Composition: 22 carat gold
Obverse: ELIZABETH.II.DEI.GRA REGINA.FID.DEF – and a bust of Queen Elizabeth II
Designed by Ian Rank-Broadley
Reverse: St.George & Dragon with the date in the exergue.
Designed by Benedetto Pistrucci
Half Sovereigns
The first half sovereign was produced introduced in 1544. However thanks to the invention of the steam powered coin press by Matthew Boulton and James Watt the first modern milled half sovereign was issued in 1817during George III’s reign.
Weight: 4 grams, Composition: 22 carat gold
Obverse: GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA – and a bust of George II with the date below.
Designed by Benedetto Pistrucci
Reverse: REX:FID:DEF:BRITANNIARUM
Designed by William Wyon
Sovereigns
The first modern Sovereign were struck in 1817 using a new steam powered press designed by Boulton and Watt instead of the usual hand operated presses. The reverse features the iconic St. George and the Dragon design by Pistrucci.
Weight: 7.98 grams, Composition: 22 carat gold, size: 22mm diameter
For an extensive guide to sovereign types and dates please take a look at this page: https://gold-sovereign.net/sovereign-types/