1831 Sovereign

Description

The 1831 sovereign was the first sovereign to be issued during the reign of King William IV. King William IV's portrait can be seen on the obverse of the coin. A crowned shield of the Royal Arms can be seen on the reverse of the coin, designed by Jean Baptiste Merlen. The sovereign is made of 22 carat gold, and weighs 7.98 grams. It contains 0.2354 ounce of fine gold. Only 598,547 sovereigns were struck in 1831. It is very unlikely that all of these still exist today, as many have been melted down over the last two centuries. 

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The first modern gold proof sovereign was issued by the Royal Mint in 1979. Since then, a gold proof sovereign has been issued every year by the Royal Mint. Proof sovereigns are superior in quality compared to standard bullion sovereigns, with highly polished fields, and cameo raised portraits on the obverse and reverse. Gold proof sovereigns are released in a Royal Mint presentation case with a certificate of authenticity. Proof sovereigns often depict Benedetto Pistrucci’s famous portrayal of St George and the dragon on the reverse of the coin. The reverse design has been changed several times for special commemorative years, such as the 1989 500th anniversary of the sovereign, and the 2002 Golden Jubilee.

M J Hughes Coins are members of the British Numismatic Trade Association – www.bnta.net. We are coin dealers based in Alton, Hampshire (Where we have a shop location). We are always interested in purchasing any coins that you may have for sale, particularly Royal Mint issues and gold coins. We are happy to make no obligation offers, and purchase from a single coin to an entire gold coin collection. You would be more than welcome to visit our shop, or we are happy to travel to you. Please get in contact with us if you would like to discuss further.