The 1908 Gold Sovereign. Sydney Mint, Australia.The 1908 Sydney Sovereign depicts Benedetto Pistrucci’s famous portrayal of St George slaying the dragon on the reverse of the coin. A small 'S' above the date indicates the sovereign was produced in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
King Edward VII’s bare head portrait, by George W. de Saulles, can be seen on the obverse of the coin.Image credit: Naomi Andrzejeski, Museums Victoria.
Mintage: 2,017,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Sydney Mint
More information (monarch, year, mint, country, category) can be found below coin listings.
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Remember 1908 ?
Monarch is Edward VII. Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Liberal) is replaced as Prime Minister by H. H. Asquith (Liberal). Theodore Roosevelt is US President. Manchester United secure the Football League First Division title The first major trophy. 1908 Summer Olympics held at the White City Stadium, London. American-born Samuel F. Cody makes the first powered fixed-wing aircraft flight in Britain. Kenneth Grahame publishes The Wind in the Willows. First issue of The Magnet, featuring a story of Greyfriars School by Frank Richards.
Edward VII (1901-1910)
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. Edward was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Edward married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.Five Pound, Two Pound and Crowns were only released in 1902. The 1902 Proof set for the Coronation is unusual in that it had a Matt finish. Gold Sovereign mintages were high during the reign of Edward VII, averaging more than 10 million per year which makes them fairly common even today.
Category: Sovereigns
The 1908 Gold Sovereign Sydney 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 1908 Gold Sovereign Sydney was minted at The Sydney Mint.
The Obverse is the Monarch's head (Edward VII) 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: Edward VII
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 1908 Gold Sovereign Sydney, 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. 
On eBay UK:
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 479.57 |
 | 1884 Victoria Full Gold Sovereign £ 889.00 |
 | 1906 Edward VII Gold Half Sovereign £ 448.36 |
 | 1959 Full Sovereign British Coin Queen Elizabeth II 22ct Gold £ 938.00 |
 | 1888 Full Queen Victoria Gold Sovereign Jubilee Head £ 899.20 |
 | Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF SOVEREIGN 1979 to 2026 - Choose your year £ 1,075.00 |
 | 1982 Queen Elizabeth II Half Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin In Case £ 435.10 |
 | RARE 1880 PCGS GRADED MS61 Victoria Shield Back Gold Half Sovereign Coin No Die# £ 925.00 |
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On eBay USA:
| Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 479.57 |
| 1884 Victoria Full Gold Sovereign £ 889.00 |
| 1906 Edward VII Gold Half Sovereign £ 448.36 |
| 1959 Full Sovereign British Coin Queen Elizabeth II 22ct Gold £ 938.00 |
| Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF SOVEREIGN 1979 to 2026 - Choose your year £ 1,075.00 |
 | Full Sovereign 22 Carat Gold Coin Dated 1912. £ 924.70 |
| 1982 Queen Elizabeth II Half Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin In Case £ 435.10 |
| RARE 1880 PCGS GRADED MS61 Victoria Shield Back Gold Half Sovereign Coin No Die# £ 925.00 |
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View Coins on eBay USA