GreyBeardUK

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

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

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.

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...

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?

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?

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?

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

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

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