GreyBeardUK

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RM don't seem to mind appearing ridiculous as long as they can make money.

Thanks for the replies, really useful. Appreciated.

I'm what Londoners call "a provincial" (when they're being polite), and I'm thinking of coming down to London for a day sometime in the next couple of months. Which coin/bullion dealers would you recommend I try to visit? They need to be in short walking distance of a tube station. Which ones can I walk in off the street, and which would need an appointment (difficult to set up for a day trip)? Thanks.

I know the doings of the RM are usually totally opaque, but I wondered if anyone knew why they removed the streamer from St George's helmet (from 2009 I think)? It surely can't be for aesthetic reasons after 200 years. And it seems unlikely to be problems with striking, as they appear to have left it on the half, 2 and 5. Any ideas?

I am very, very new to all this, but should there be that crack in his sword? And shouldn't there be more detail on his torso, as there is so little wear? Very interested to hear what the experts say.

So that's why the RM pollutes it's sovereigns with too much copper - to make them look rosey! Boom boom!

On Youtube, including the esteemed Mr Chard's videos, everyone seems to hate the post-1999 sovereigns because of their rose-gold appearance. No-one seems to have metioned that in the comments above (unless I missed one). Should that be a consideration, especially for eventual re-sale?

Thanks very much for that reference! So they didn't attempt to use fractions, but whole thousandths of an inch.

Thanks for the heads up. Still a bit rich for my blood, though.

Thanks for the reply, but 7/8 of an inch is 22.225 mm. I'm pretty sure the spec isn't that far off. But that's what I mean - I would have expected 7/8", or something equally simple...

I have tried to find the answer to this question on the internet to no avail, so I wondered if any of you experts know. The diameter of the Sovereign is universally defined today as 22.05mm. But when the present Sovereign was first produced in 1816, the Mint would not have used the metric system. We had only just defeated Napoleon, and then, and for decades afterwards, the Metric system was seen as "French". So the diameter must have been defined in Imperial units. But 22.05mm does not appear to convert to any sensible fraction of an inch (either thousandths or e.g. n/32). I did wonder if the size of the blank might have been what was defined, with the finished size being a "bit" larger to allow for the milling. But I can't find a solution there either. All the sources I can find only talk about weight and fineness. Do any of you know where the diameter came from?

Pity. It makes the 2024 Sovereign less collectible, because that is not going to be the first uncrowned head with a St George reverse.

The normal bullion and proof 2023 Sovereigns have the king's crowned head to comemmorate the coronation. However, the 75th birthday Struck on the Day sovereign has the uncrowned head, plain rim and frosted surface. This same format has now appeared in the "Variations of The Sovereign" Set (based on the picture of the BU 2023 coin). But it is not described as SotD (and it doesn't actually say that it has a plain rim and frosted surface). Are there any other appearances of this format of 2023 coin? Do you think more examples of this coin may be struck not on the day and appear elsewhere?

Thanks. I'll have to get the Spinks book when it comes out.

Yeah, I was afraid of that!

Does anyone have a definitive list of all sovereigns and ¼ ounce coins minted in the last two years (so far)? I'm a newbie, and I'm finding it really difficult to keep track of all the mint's issues. Below is my best attempt at a list. Can you point me at a better one, or at least provide corrections? Thanks. Year Monarch Obverse Reverse Bullion? Sovereigns 2022 Elizabeth II Fifth Portrait - Jody Clark Royal Arms (Platinum Jubilee) Bullion 2022 Charles III Definitive Royal Arms (Memorial) Bullion 2023 Charles III Crowned Head St George (Coronation Sovereign) Bullion 2023 Charles III Definitive St George Bullion 2023 Charles III Definitive St George (75th Birthday) Struck on the day – matte & plain rim ¼ ounce gold 2022 QEII Fifth Portrait - Jody Clark Britannia Standing Bullion 2023 QEII Fifth Portrait - Jody Clark Britannia Standing Bullion 2023 Charles III Crowned Coronation: Cypher Bullion 2023 Charles III Crowned Coronation: ornate Royal Arms with cartouches Proof only:1250 2023 Charles III Definitive Britannia driving a sea chariot pulled by seahorses Proof only: 970 2023 Charles III Definitive Britannia Standing Bullion (2023 Charles III Crowned Britannia Standing Currently only in available in 1 oz?) 2023 Charles III Definitive 75th Birthday Proof only: 750

Just been on to the RM site. They don't appear to be doing any bullion versions. Do you think they'll release any later? Totally mucks up my 2023 1 oz silver collection (5 coins so far) if they don't.

Sorry to resurrect this topic - but I thought it was better than starting a new one. The concensus seems to be clearly agains the red gold (in line with my own opinion). As a deeply cynical Brit, I have been wondering if the RM are deliberately trying to drive people away from the sovereign. Presumably to the quarter Britannia on which they charge an eye-watering larger premium (=profit). Could that explain their intransigence in the face of public opprobrium?

I'd already realised that the Royal Mint premiums are aimed at naive beginners who have done no research! And you're right - I was teetering on the edge of the "I quite like the 1/4 oz themes", but (at least for now) I've pulled back from the abyss (rabbit hole?). As for Mint State - the analogy I think of, is the Hi-Fi enthusiasts in the '60s, who stopped listening to the actual music because they became obsessed with the quality of the sound reproduction. I'm desperately trying to enjoy the coins without demanding perfect mirror shine. Indeed, with the Royal Mint notorious for copper spots on gold and milk spots on silver, that would be a path to perennial disappointment.

Thanks for the fast reply! I hadn't realised the Gold Standard was a series - I thought it was a one-off in 2019; so that's very useful! And as a result of your reply I did another search for Tudor Beasts, and this time found the bullion entry. But I do take your point about premiums. I don't know why quarter ounce coins have such a large premium compared to sovereigns.

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and only just getting into gold. I know – late to the party at the worst possible time! So I'm looking for some help… At the moment, I'm only interested in bullion, mainly because I want to be able to physically handle the coins. But also, because I have experience in other collecting fields where a discrepancy in subjective grading can lead to massive differences in perceived value. I like that the bullion spot price keeps everyone "on the same page" (I can even see which premiums are greedy!). I'm in the UK, so for now I'm concentrating on bullion sovereigns (from reputable dealers). But I am also considering getting a few quarter ounce £25 coins where they are particularly significant or attractive, despite their much higher premium (why is that?). Obviously there are quarter Britannias, but I am having trouble identifying what else the Royal mint has done in bullion grade. Some of the ranges and individual coins seem to be only in Proof. For instance it seems that the Queen's Beasts were available in bullion, but the Tudor Beasts are only Proof? (And the Completer coin is only one ounce proof?) The internet has not been as helpful as I'd hoped – Wikipedia is clearly missing information, and other hits are for sites only interested in what they currently have for sale. The Royal Mint site is very difficult to navigate, but doesn't seem to have comprehensive historical information. Can anyone point me to a definitive list of all legal tender, bullion, gold £25 coins? Any other comments or advice would be very welcome. Thanks