1878 Gold Sovereign London

1878 Sovereign Obverse

The 1878 Gold Sovereign - Victoria

Gold Sovereign minted by the Royal Mint in London (no mint mark) in 1878 during the reign of Queen Victoria. 22 carat gold. SCBC: 3856A.

The Reverse of this 1878 Gold Sovereign depicts Benedetto Pistrucci’s famous portrayal of St George slaying the dragon. Small 'B.P.' initials to right of date. Horse with long tail.

Edge is milled.

Queen Victoria’s young head can be seen on the Obverse of the 1878 Sovereign. Designed by William Wyon RA, you can find the initials 'WW' on the truncation of the neck.

Image credit: The Royal Mint


Mintage: 1,091,275 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1878 ?
Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is Benjamin Disraeli (Conservative). US President is Rutherford B. Hayes (R-Ohio). The phonograph is patented by Thomas Edison. Alexander Graham Bell demonstrates the telephone to Queen Victoria. London introduces Electric street lighting on the Thames Embankment and Waterloo Bridge. In the USA, the Bland–Allison Act leads to the first minting of the Morgan dollar.
Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.


Victoria posed for a number of head portraits, but there are generally three major variants: Young Head (1838-1887) by William Wyon, RA; Jubilee Head (1887-1893) by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and Old Head (1893-1901) by by Sir Thomas Brock.

Category: Sovereigns
The 1878 Gold Sovereign London is an example of the Gold Sovereign and is one of the most ubiquitous of all coins and much sought after by both coin collectors and bullion investors. Sovereigns have been minted since 1817 (in Britain 1817-1917, 1925 and 1957 on). At coins fairs you often hear the dealers refer to these coins as Sovs.

Besides being minted in Britain, Sovereigns have been made in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth), India (then Bombay, now Mumbai), Canada (Ottawa) and South Africa (Pretoria) although these regional mints have not made sovereigns since 1932 (although India has produced some recently in a private mint partnership with the Royal Mint). The non-British coins carry a small mintmark ('S','M','P','I','C' or 'SA') just above the date. This 1878 Gold Sovereign London was minted at The Royal Mint.

The Obverse is the Monarch's head (Victoria) and the Reverse is most often St George and the Dragon, although other backs have been used and are of interest to collectors. The Reverse often gives the Sovs a new term, like "ShieldBacks".

Specifications for the Gold Sovereign
 
  • Weight: 7.9881g
  • Diameter: 22.05 mm
  • Thickness: 1.52 mm
  • Purity: 22 carat = 91.67% (11/12ths gold, 1/12th copper. Adding copper makes the coin more scratch and dent resistant)
  • Gold Content: 113 grains = 7.3224 g = 0.2354 troy ounce
  • Face value: £1 = 20 shillings
  • Monarch: Victoria

History

Up until 1604 there was a coin called the English gold sovereign and in 1816 when there was the "Great Recoinage" the name was revived. At that time standard gold (22 carat) was valued at £46 14s 6d per troy pound; this meant a £1 coin needed to weigh 123.2744783 grains or 7.988030269 g. The weight is still the same today.

As a historical note: to maintain the Gold Standard, in 1816 the value of silver was set at 66 shillings for one troy pound and silver coins were only legal for denominations up to £2.

The first sovereigns carried the head of King George III and the famous George and the Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855), an Italian engraver who became chief medallist at the Royal Mint.

With high value coins such as the 1878 Gold Sovereign London, collectors and bullion investors often worry about forgeries but actually gold coins are very difficult to forge due to gold's unique properties of density and colour. Gold is extremely dense and to use another metal and gold-plate it would result in a coin that is under-weight, over-diameter or half as thick, something that would be spotted very easily. More difficult to spot would be a bullion coin melted down and re-cast as a highly collectable date, but an expert can usually tell these too. You should always use reputable dealers.

Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Sovereigns page on eBay UK
As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.

List items on:

SCARCE 1878 S SYDNEY Victoria YH SHIELD Full Gold Sovereign ref57
SCARCE 1878 S SYDNEY Victoria YH SHIELD Full Gold Sovereign ref57
£ 575.00
1878-M  Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign  UNC. KM#7
1878-M Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign UNC. KM#7
£ 807.59
1878 Gold Sovereign. Queen Victoria Young Head Gold Sovereign 1878
1878 Gold Sovereign. Queen Victoria Young Head Gold Sovereign 1878
£ 469.99
22ct GOLD HALF SOVEREIGN 1878 YOUNG HEAD VICTORIA SHIELD BACK COIN
22ct GOLD HALF SOVEREIGN 1878 YOUNG HEAD VICTORIA SHIELD BACK COIN
£ 269.00
Gold Half Sovereign 1878 Queen Victoria Shield Back. Die no 156
Gold Half Sovereign 1878 Queen Victoria Shield Back. Die no 156
£ 250.00
Full Gold Sovereign Queen Victorian 1878 Special Delivery Available NEXTDAY
Full Gold Sovereign Queen Victorian 1878 Special Delivery Available NEXTDAY
£ 495.00
Great Britain. 1878 Half Sovereign..  Die 9..   aVF/F+ - Trace Lustre
Great Britain. 1878 Half Sovereign.. Die 9.. aVF/F+ - Trace Lustre
£ 374.51
Great Britain. 1878 Half Sovereign..  Die 97..  aF/F
Great Britain. 1878 Half Sovereign.. Die 97.. aF/F
£ 322.86

List items on: