The Value of Sovereigns

We buy sovereigns literally by the handful every week and the most common question we are asked is “is it a valuable one?” or we are met with the claim that “it’s a XYZ year and a proof coin so it’s got to be valuable – right?” to which we are forced to reply that it is not quite as simple as that.

The harsh truth is that the vast majority of sovereigns are only worth their weight in gold – 7.98g of golden goodness to be precise for a single sovereign. In this day and age that amounts to a decent sum as the price of gold sits at near record highs. Many, many millions of sovereigns (some believe as many as a 100 million) are in circulation in the UK alone and a small handful are of interest to collectors which in turn attracts a premium on their value. So if you are sat on a 1819, 1828, 1838, 1841 or a 1917 sovereign then you might well be permitted to get a little excited. Beyond that, sadly, you are in possession of a bog standard sovereign.

We are also asked if condition actually matters. A shiny, encapsulated sovereign of recent vintage must surely be worth more than a shabby, well worn, battered and bruised coin from the turn of the 19th century right? Well, no. In almost all circumstances they are worth exactly the same at the point of sale to a dealer. It’s only when they come to be retailed that the smoke and mirrors are brought into play and the marketing spins up the shine to extra cost to the retail customer. But that’s a tale for another article.

So, if you have sovereigns to sell and would like to check for extra value or at least receive a fair price for your coins then please get in touch. We operate a mobile service and will come to you and evaluate your coins, test them and pay you on the spot before you hand them over. No need to post them off or trudge into town, we are fast, professional and fair.

Devon Precious Metals operates in the Plymouth travel to work area including the South Hams, South East Cornwall, West Devon and all stops in-between.