George V Gold Sovereign

Sovereign – King George V

The George V Gold Sovereign carries on the great tradition of the Royal Mint’s best-known bullion coin. Like all gold Sovereign coins, it’s produced in 22-carat gold and is VAT-exempt and Capital Gains Tax-free.

These are pre-owned King George Sovereigns in very good condition. All our pre-owned gold is carefully checked for quality and condition by our numismatic team, with sub-standard coins being rejected. The coin will be packed loose, and you can purchase these coin capsules which fit and protect your coin perfectly, or if you’d like a display case, these are very popular and can house up to 10 full Sovereigns.

History

As the second son of King Edward VIII, George V succeeded his father in 1910. His grandmother was the long-reigning Queen Victoria and he was only third in line to the throne when he was born in 1865. But after his elder brother’s untimely death in 1892, he became next in line for the throne. His reign marked several significant changes. The political backdrop saw the growth of fascism, socialism and communism, with much of this contributing to the First World War (1914-1918) and later the Great Depression. On home soil, Parliament legally recognised the supremacy of the House of Commons over the unelected Lords.

Coin design

The obverse features a portrait of George V facing left, complete with a finely manicured moustache. As with all the modern Sovereigns, the reverse displays the classic St.George and Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci.

Interestingly for collectors, 2 versions of the coin were produced. The standard design on a majority of the coins (1911-1928), and a second version with a smaller head portrait on later George V Gold Sovereigns. Unlike longer reigning monarchs such as Victoria and Elizabeth, where different portraits were used to reflect the ageing of the Queen, the smaller George portrait was motivated by technical issues. It’s said that the greater amount of metal displaced when striking the larger head wore the Royal Mint’s dies quicker, proving expensive to replace more often.

The smaller portrait of later coins reduced this stress on the Mint’s dies. The other obvious update to the second coin version is the stronger border and inner circle and a more detailed moustache.

Mintage

While King George V reigned from 1910-1936, the coins were only produced between 1911-1932. Annual mintage varied considerably, ranging from over 40 million in the first year to just over 1 million coins in 1932.

As was common with the British Empire, The George Sovereign was produced in various mints and therefore coins are found with mintmarks from as far afield as Ottowa (Canada), Bombay (India), Pretoria (South Africa), 3 cities in Australia and London. Each proudly displays the relevant mintmark, except London, produced coins, which have no mark at all.

The picture illustrates the type of coin you’ll receive, not the exact item.

Our expert opinion

The George V Gold Sovereign is one of our favourite coins, and will almost always form the backbone of a Director’s Pick selection. We say it hits the sweet spot, which means it offers a perfect balance of low premium with some numismatic value.

Generally, they trade cheaper than Edward VII Gold Sovereign coins as more were minted and they’re not as old. However, we’ve seen these two coins trading at similar values in recent years. The two coins are commonly referred to as ‘King Sovereigns’.

These are an ideal coin as part of a mixed portfolio of tax-free gold coins, offering divisibility, variety and a slice of British history. Desirable, generally in better condition than many Victorian coins, and great value.