Her Majesty the Queen
When all three elements of a coin are right, you can’t go wrong…
Introducing the brand new British Isles Gold Proof Sovereign released to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day!
Over the years, the popularity of various coins have come and gone. But none have stayed as unrivalled as the Gold Sovereign.
Quite simply, the Sovereign is without a doubt the world’s premier Gold Coin. Struck from 22 Carat Gold to the exact same specification since 1817, it epitomises all that is British.
Traded across the world during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, it became known as “The Chief Coin of the World”, whilst today’s modern Proof Sovereigns show consistent collector interest and regular sell-outs.
Most importantly for the thousands of Sovereign collectors around the world, it’s a coin that demands attention and the intricate detail and sell-out status remains unrivalled.
FIFTEEN TIMES more limited than the UK’s most recent Proof Sovereign
Serious collectors tend to look at three key things when choosing a coin to add to their collection.
When all three elements are right, you can’t go wrong. And that’s definitely the case with the BRAND NEW British Isles Gold Proof Sovereign that has just been issued by the Isle of Man for 2020.
1. The edition limit
2. The country of issue
3. The subject and design
Let’s take each of the three key elements in turn…
1. The edition limit
This is simple. The coin is limited to just 495 pieces. This is more than 15 times RARER than the UK’s recent Gold Proof Sovereign.
Let me give you a few comparisons of recently issued Sovereigns:
495 coins is a tiny edition limit for a gold Sovereign-specification coin such as this.
2. The country of issue
Importantly this is a British Isles issue, authorised by the Government of Isle of Man. That means that it benefits from a sterling denomination, as well as the associated interest for British Isles coins within the UK.
3. The subject and design
This is the BIGGEST of all the ticks, especially when combined with the edition limit.
This year we mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. The day which signalled the end of World War II in Europe and brought long-awaited peace to our nation.
Here are just some of the national plans to celebrate:
- The May Bank Holiday has changed from Monday to Friday for the VE Day anniversary.
- Bells in churches and cathedrals across the country will take part in a Ringing out for Peace celebration.
- Street parties and celebrations at pubs, clubs, hotels, village greens and halls have been planned up and down the country.
- A national service of commemoration and celebration.
As I mentioned previously, when all three elements of a coin are right, you just can’t go wrong. And I am certain that demand will exceed availability. Especially when a strike of just 495 coins have been authorised for release.
And that’s before you consider the design…
The reverse is very fitting. The Union Flag fills up the complete surface of the coin while the text ‘VE DAY’ is displayed up large at the centre.
So I am sure you can now understand why serious collectors will want to own the remarkable new VE Day 75th Anniversary Gold Proof Sovereign. It’s the perfect coin to mark 75 years since our country rejoiced as Allied victory swept across Europe and our nation’s soldiers, sailors and airmen began their journey home.
I know it’s easy to sing the praises of every new coin. But, this one REALLY DOES tick all three key collecting boxes. All of the elements of this latest Gold Sovereign lend themselves to a complete sell-out.
Given the symbolic anniversary, the fact it carries a sterling denomination, and a strike of just 495 coins have been authorised, I am certain that demand will exceed availability.
Unboxing over 200 years of British coin history
The Stories of British Coins Collection includes 16 of the most remarkable coins from over 200 years of British history, but many of them are in high demand and difficult to source, especially those which are historic artefacts in their own right!
Join Adam as he unboxes a fascinating coin collection that together tells the story of Britain.
Find out more and add the set to your collection by clicking here >>
How a young queen saw the world without leaving Europe…
Despite ruling over 400 million people in an empire that covered almost a quarter of the world’s surface, Queen Victoria had never set foot in many of the countries that she ruled over.
For many of those people, the only way to catch a glimpse of their empress was by looking at the portraits on the coins that passed through their hands every day. These coins formed a vital connection between people, even though they may have lived on opposite sides of the world and experienced very different lives.
India became known as the Jewel in the Empire’s crown, and was so important to Victoria that she was awarded the title of the “Empress of India” in 1876. Although she never stepped foot in the subcontinent, the currency of India (the rupee) was minted with her portrait on from 1840, so people could recognise their empress despite living 4,500 miles away!
The rupee is one of the oldest currencies in the world, so to feature a British monarch for the first time was an important moment in numismatic history. The later portrait issued on rupees was similar to the Gothic Head effigy can be considered one of the most beautiful coins of the empire.
1840 Indian Rupee 
1886 Indian Rupee
Another numismatic first took place in Australia in 1855, one more country that Victoria never visited (which is hardly surprising as it would have taken her almost two months to get there!). As the empire grew, so did the need for coins and the Royal Mint opened branches in Australia to mint sovereigns for the empire. In 1855 the first ever sovereign to be minted outside of the UK, the Sydney sovereign, was issued. It featured a portrait of Victoria that was based on the Young Head effigy, but with a sprig of banksia weaved through Victoria’s hair, giving the portrait a distinct Australian feel.
A number of Royal Mint branches were opened throughout Australia after the success of the Sydney sovereign. To identify the mint that sovereigns were produced in, mintmarks were added to the coins, with a small ‘P’ for Perth, and an ‘M’ for Melbourne. The sovereign became legal tender in the majority of British colonies in the 1860s, and its importance in British trade, and worldwide circulation earned it the title “the King of Coins”. By the final years of the British Empire, the sovereign was minted in four continents across the globe.
‘P’ Mintmark for sovereigns minted in Perth 
‘M’ Mintmark for sovereigns minted in Melbourne
India and Australia weren’t the only countries that saw Victoria’s portrait. Her image also reached as far as Hong Kong, Ceylon, East Africa and New Zealand. In 1870 the first Canadian dollar with Victoria’s portrait was issued, taking Victoria’s image to a new side of the world for people to see.
Victoria never left Europe, but her portrait and image stood strong on coins around the world. Whilst she never stepped foot in many of the countries that she ruled over, that didn’t stop people recognising her image around the world. The coins that they used every day provided a link to the empire that they were a part of, despite the miles between them.
If you’re interested
You can now own a genuine Victorian Silver Rupee, minted over 4,500 miles away! Click here for more info>>>>