Great Britain Sovereign and 2 Pounds 1821 to 1825

A lot of old British coins look the same, with differences only in size, weight, and composition. The inquirer here has specified 'non-precious metal' as the composition, which is a puzzle. Coins that look like this are made only in silver and gold. We have chosen the gold version to report here. The inquirer may have a novelty reproduction. This page is about the real thing.

CoinQuest thanks Stack's Bowers for use of their coin image. It's a beauty!

King George IV reigned in Britain from 1820 to 1830. A few decades later, during the early reign of Queen Victoria, sovereign gold coinage became quite plentiful and collectors today can buy examples for (pretty much) their gold value. This is not the case with sovereigns of King George IV. There is still substantial collector value over and above intrinsic gold value.

Here is what the catalogs say about the gold sovereigns of George IV:

SOVEREIGN: 21 mm diameter, 0.236 troy ounces gold
worn: $400 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $500
well preserved: $1200
fully uncirculated: $2200
sovereigns dated 1823 and 1825 are more rare than other dates, cataloging around $3000 in well preserved condition

Two pound gold coins are somewhat larger than sovereigns. The 1923 date has the same pattern as the sovereign in our picture.

TWO POUNDS: 27 mm diameter, 0.471 troy ounces gold
worn: $500 US dollars approximate catalog value
agerage circulated: $750
well preserved: $1000
fully uncirculated: $3000

To figure the basic gold value of a damaged coin -- for instance one that has been marred by use in jewelry -- look up the current value of gold at a web site such as kitco.com and multiply by the troy ounces in your coin. For instance, if you have a damaged sovereign, it would bring in today's gold market $1355 (from kitco) times 0.236 (weight above) = $320. Gold value changes every day. Be sure to look it up. Coin collectors will not buy damaged coins for a premium over the basic gold value.
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