1884 Gold Sovereign SYD


The 1884 Gold Sovereign Sydney - St George

This sovereign was made in Australia, at the Sydney Mint, New South Wales. On the Obverse there is a small 'S' below the neck.

The 1884 Sydney sovereign can have a shield back as well as the St George one shown. The mintage figure is the combined total of all 1884 Sydney mintages of both designs.

St George and the Dragon is on the reverse, designed by Benedetto Pistrucci. Initials "B.P." to right of date.

The edge is milled.

The Obverse shows a young head portrait of Queen Victoria by William Wyon. Legend is "VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR: REG: F:D:". The artist's initials ("W.W.") are on the truncation of the neck and the 'S' mintmark below.

Image credit: Museums Victoria.


Mintage: 1,595,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Sydney Mint.
Remember 1884 ?
Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal). US President is Chester A. Arthur (R-New York). NSPCC is founded. Alaska becomes a United States territory. Mark Twain writes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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 1884 Gold Sovereign Sydney - St George 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 1884 Gold Sovereign Sydney - St George was minted at The Sydney 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 1884 Gold Sovereign Sydney - St George, 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 Sydney Mint
The Sydney Mint in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the oldest public building in the Sydney Central Business District. It stopped making gold sovereigns about 1926.
Country of Origin: Australia
Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Australia used pounds, shillings and pence until 1966, when it adopted the decimal system with the Australian dollar divided into 100 cents. The 1oz Silver coins are a particular favourite with collectors around the World and feature the famous Australian animals such as Kookaburra, Kangeroo and Kaola.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Sovereigns page on eBay UK
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List items on:

1884-S Australia Gold Sovereign St. George Sydney Mint PCGS MS62. Pop 13 only
1884-S Australia Gold Sovereign St. George Sydney Mint PCGS MS62. Pop 13 only
£ 782.30
1884 Gold  Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint
1884 Gold Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint
£ 995.00
1884 Gold  Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint
1884 Gold Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint
£ 1,074.70
1884 Gold  Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint PCGS MS 61
1884 Gold Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint PCGS MS 61
£ 1,074.70
1884 Gold  Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint PCGS MS 61
1884 Gold Sovereign Coin Sydney Mint PCGS MS 61
£ 995.00
Australia 1884S Gold 1 Sovereign NGC MS61 Victoria St. George Sydney Mint
Australia 1884S Gold 1 Sovereign NGC MS61 Victoria St. George Sydney Mint
£ 554.26
Australia.  1884 Sydney - Shield Sovereign..  Much Lustre.. gEF/aUNC
Australia. 1884 Sydney - Shield Sovereign.. Much Lustre.. gEF/aUNC
£ 619.88
Australia..  1884 Sydney - Shield Sovereign..  Much Lustre.. gEF/aUNC
Australia.. 1884 Sydney - Shield Sovereign.. Much Lustre.. gEF/aUNC
£ 697.37

List items on:


UK On eBay UK:


Cooksongold 9ct Yellow Gold Full/Half Sovereign Coin Mount with Scroll Top
Cooksongold 9ct Yellow Gold Full/Half Sovereign Coin Mount with Scroll Top
£ 74.10
1793  Gold Coin  Sovereign
1793 Gold Coin Sovereign
£ 599.00
9ct Yellow Gold on Silver Sovereign Coin Ring - ALL SIZES AVAILABLE inc LARGE
9ct Yellow Gold on Silver Sovereign Coin Ring - ALL SIZES AVAILABLE inc LARGE
£ 29.95
BRITISH FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN 2021 IN MINT CONDITION - QUEEN ELIZABETH II
BRITISH FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN 2021 IN MINT CONDITION - QUEEN ELIZABETH II
£ 434.00
Gold Sovereign. 2022. Last QEII. Gorgeous... 8g 22ct. Untouched except for pics.
Gold Sovereign. 2022. Last QEII. Gorgeous... 8g 22ct. Untouched except for pics.
£ 445.00
Full Sovereign Coin Elizabeth ll Gold  2015 Bullion 22ct Gold With Certificate
Full Sovereign Coin Elizabeth ll Gold 2015 Bullion 22ct Gold With Certificate
£ 439.99
1 Rand Gold Coin. 1975. Immaculate, scarce and beautiful. Same as Half Sovereign
1 Rand Gold Coin. 1975. Immaculate, scarce and beautiful. Same as Half Sovereign
£ 245.00
1821 BRITISH FULL SOVEREIGN 22CT GOLD PLATED COIN KING GEORGE IIII (Large)
1821 BRITISH FULL SOVEREIGN 22CT GOLD PLATED COIN KING GEORGE IIII (Large)
£ 288.00
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USA On eBay USA:


Cooksongold 9ct Yellow Gold Full/Half Sovereign Coin Mount with Scroll Top
Cooksongold 9ct Yellow Gold Full/Half Sovereign Coin Mount with Scroll Top
£ 74.10
1793  Gold Coin  Sovereign
1793 Gold Coin Sovereign
£ 599.00
BRITISH FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN 2021 IN MINT CONDITION - QUEEN ELIZABETH II
BRITISH FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN 2021 IN MINT CONDITION - QUEEN ELIZABETH II
£ 434.00
Gold Sovereign. 2022. Last QEII. Gorgeous... 8g 22ct. Untouched except for pics.
Gold Sovereign. 2022. Last QEII. Gorgeous... 8g 22ct. Untouched except for pics.
£ 445.00
BULLION GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN BEST PRICE COIN IN VERY FINE OR BETTER CONDITION
BULLION GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN BEST PRICE COIN IN VERY FINE OR BETTER CONDITION
£ 485.00
Gold 22ct Sovereign Coins
Gold 22ct Sovereign Coins
£ 3,500.00
9ct Yellow Gold on Silver Sovereign Coin Ring - ALL SIZES AVAILABLE inc LARGE
9ct Yellow Gold on Silver Sovereign Coin Ring - ALL SIZES AVAILABLE inc LARGE
£ 29.95
22ct Gold 1855 Full Sovereign Rare Coin Pendant 9ct Solid Gold Necklace No12
22ct Gold 1855 Full Sovereign Rare Coin Pendant 9ct Solid Gold Necklace No12
£ 850.00
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