2016 Gold Sovereign Proof

2016 Sovereign Proof Obverse

The 2016 Gold Sovereign Proof - Butler Portrait

To commemorate her majesty’s 90th birthday, James Butler created a new portrait just for that year. This is also known as the Butler Effigy sovereign. It was used on the 2016 gold sovereign, 2016 half-sovereign and 2016 quarter sovereign.

This is only the second time in Queen Elizabeth’s reign that a commemorative portrait has been used on Sovereign proof coins, the first time being 1989 (500th anniversary of the gold sovereign special design and did not feature the Queen’s portrait).Benedetto Pistrucci's famous portrayal of St. George and the dragon is shown on the reverse of the coin.

Queen Elizabeth II's sixth portrait can be seen on the obverse, designed by James Butler to commemorate her majesty's 90th birthday.

The coin was originally housed in a Royal Mint acrylic screw top capsule, presented in its Royal Mint wooden case, with outer black card box and maroon sleeve, accompanied with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity.

Only 9,675 individually boxed proof sovereigns were struck by the Royal Mint in 2016.

Image credit: The Royal Mint


Mintage: 9,675 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 2016 ?
Donald Trump Elected as US President. BREXIT - Britain votes to leave EU after Referendum. Queen Elizabeth II marks her 90th birthday. Leicester City wins the 2016 Premier League, defying all odds. Sadiq Khan is sworn in as mayor of London. Archaeologists identify a Roman object found during construction of Bloomberg's new offices in the City of London as the oldest known hand-written document in the United Kingdom, dating back to AD 54. British astronaut Tim Peake returns to Earth after his six-month stay on the International Space Station. David Cameron resigns as Leader of the Conservative Party and is succeeded by his former Home Secretary Theresa May.
Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British Monarch ever, reigning for over 70 years. Born on 21 April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was on 2 June 1953. She died on 8 September 2022. Some coins were released dated 2023.

Queen Elizabeth II issued many coins and was monarch during decimalisation. She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and had four children. Her eldest son succeeded the throne as King Charles III. House of Windsor.
Category: Sovereigns
The 2016 Gold Sovereign Proof 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 2016 Gold Sovereign Proof was minted at The Royal Mint.

The Obverse is the Monarch's head (Elizabeth II) 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: Elizabeth II

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 2016 Gold Sovereign Proof, 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
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List items on:

Sovereign 2016 Gold Proof James Butler Portrait Royal MInt Box and COAs
Sovereign 2016 Gold Proof James Butler Portrait Royal MInt Box and COAs
£ 849.99
2016 Gold Proof James Butler Portrait Sovereign NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo Top Grade
2016 Gold Proof James Butler Portrait Sovereign NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo Top Grade
£ 1,150.00
#2 The Sovereign 2016 Three Gold Proof Coin Set Sov & Half  & 1/4 James Butler
#2 The Sovereign 2016 Three Gold Proof Coin Set Sov & Half & 1/4 James Butler
£ 1,695.00
2016 THREE COIN GOLD PROOF SET SOVEREIGN HALF QUARTER JAMES BUTLER NGC PF70
2016 THREE COIN GOLD PROOF SET SOVEREIGN HALF QUARTER JAMES BUTLER NGC PF70
£ 1,899.00
RARE 2016 Royal Mint UK Proof Sovereign Gold Coin Boxed with CoA - James Butler
RARE 2016 Royal Mint UK Proof Sovereign Gold Coin Boxed with CoA - James Butler
£ 950.00

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