In an age of digital transactions, going paperless and having fewer reasons to spend actual cash, you might wonder what coins have left going for them. Gold coins, you’ll be interested to know, can crop up in the most unexpected of places. We know for a fact that you can attract a respectable price if you wish to sell gold in your possession.
Victorian Gold Sovereigns
Gold coinage might sound like an archaic form of exchange calling back to an older time, but really, these items hark back more to a golden age if anything. Just 150 years ago, Gold Sovereigns were commonly used forms of currency in the UK, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria herself, one of the country’s longest-reigning monarchs.
Her lengthy reign and the production of various designs of Gold Sovereigns during this time means Queen Victoria has a wider variety of Sovereign coins struck in her likeness than any British monarch before or since. Gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns contain gold to the value of roughly £300 and £150 at today’s prices. Depending on the design, the date it was minted, rarity and condition, specific coins may be of interest to historians, numismatists or gold coin enthusiasts and hold much greater value.
For example, during Queen Victoria’s long reign, several versions of her likeness were used on her coins. The ‘Young Head’, for the early part of her reign, the ‘Jubilee Head’ covering the period from 1887 to 1893, and the ‘Old Head’ or ‘Veiled Head’, with Queen Victoria depicted in mourning following the death of her husband. The iconic St George and The Dragon design for Sovereigns was also replaced by a shield design at various times during Queen Victoria’s reign.
Gold coins by type
Gold Sovereigns aren’t the only types of coins you might find as old heirlooms, or as part of pieces of jewellery. The UK is a popular producer of such coins, including the Britannia, depicting the British emblem herself. The 1oz of pure gold contained in a Britannia coin is currently worth more than £1,200. This means, if you are lucky enough to find some of these coins in your possession, you could be sitting on a small fortune.
South African Krugerrand gold coins are another form of coin to watch out for, first minted from 1967 onwards as a means of allowing for private ownership of gold. Between the 1970s and 1980s, at the height of the apartheid era, import of such coins from South Africa was prohibited in many countries. However, following relaxation of these regulations, the Krugerrand went on to become the most widely held 1oz gold bullion coin on Earth.
There are a finite number of gold coins which are now prized heirlooms or incorporated in items of jewellery, such as Sovereign pendants or rings, lying in homes all over the country. As there is such demand from the buyer side from the likes of gold coin enthusiasts, historians and other gold-related buyers, prices can be substantial, and give you a golden dividend, should you wish to sell with UK Scrap Gold today.
Found a gold coin but want to get the experts to take a look at it? Give us a call on 01902 623 254 to make this happen today.