Sovereign (British coin) facts for kids

The sovereign is a special gold coin from the United Kingdom. It's worth one pound sterling, which is like one British pound. People have been making these coins since 1817, and they still make them today! Long ago, the sovereign was used as everyday money in Britain and other parts of the world. Now, it's mostly a "bullion coin," which means it's kept for its value in gold, like an investment. Sometimes, people even turn them into jewellery.

A bullion coin is a coin made from precious metal like gold. Instead of using it to buy things every day, people keep it because it holds its value, or they buy it as an investment. In the United Kingdom, gold coins made after 1800 that are at least 90% pure gold and have been official money in their home country are considered investment coins.

Most modern sovereigns have a famous design on one side: Saint George and the Dragon. You can often see the small letters "B P" next to the date, which are the initials of the artist who designed it, Benedetto Pistrucci.

History of the Sovereign Coin

The British Government really wanted the sovereign to be used around the world to help with international trade. The Royal Mint, which is where coins are made, would even take old, lighter gold coins out of circulation to keep the sovereign strong.

From the 1850s until 1932, sovereigns were also made in other countries that were part of the British Empire, like Australia, Canada, South Africa, and India. Since 2013, they've even started making them in India again for people there. At first, the sovereigns made in Australia had their own unique designs. But by 1887, all new sovereigns, no matter where they were made, featured Pistrucci's famous George and Dragon design. So many sovereigns were made in Australia that by 1900, almost half of the sovereigns in Britain had actually been minted there!

When the First World War started in 1914, the sovereign stopped being used as everyday money in Britain. Paper money took its place. Even after the war, the sovereign didn't return to daily use in Britain, though other countries continued to make them until 1932.

Sovereigns Today

The sovereign coin was still popular in the Middle East. In the 1950s, more and more people wanted them. The Royal Mint listened and started making new sovereigns again in 1957. Since then, they've been made both as bullion coins (for their gold value) and, starting in 1979, for people who collect coins. Even though you don't use a sovereign to buy things anymore, it is still officially legal tender in the United Kingdom. This means it's still recognized as official money, even if it's not used every day.

Images for kids

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  Sovereign of Queen Mary I, c. 1553

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  A £1 note issued in 1814 by the Gloucester Old Bank

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  1817 sovereign of George III

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  Pistrucci's original sketch for the sovereign

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  The sovereign replaced the guinea.

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  1842 "Shield reverse" sovereign

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  Counterfeit detector. A fake will pass one test (weight or fit) and fail the other.

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  The 1852 Adelaide Pound (on average) contains 8.75 grams of gold (0.9170 fine) and weighs 0.2580 of an ounce.

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  Sovereign, 1855, from original gold coin, Sydney Mint, State Library of New South Wales, [http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110493273 SAFE/DN/C 1

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  2017-I sovereign in card of issue

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  First World War propaganda poster featuring the sovereign coin

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  Reverse of the 2020 sovereign

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  Sydney Mint sovereign, 1857

See also

In Spanish: Soberano (moneda británica) para niños