Britannia47

Slight digression: That’s why I like my 1982 Sovereign set - start and end of hostilities in the Falklands War…..🙂

I’m surprised there’s no mention of it being on the Specification card. ( I ) = Bombay Mint. Easy to check though. Yes, leave it in the card. My 1918 is loose to show comparison with the carded 2018. Pity there’s no 100th anniversary privy mark on it!

@guywhostacks10122All good advice above, but it does depend on your financial situation. Few people can afford to buy 1oz anymore and are downsizing to 1/4oz or smaller, but of course were luckier enough to buy sovereigns and other gold when they were a lot cheaper and are now sitting on a good profit. If you are patient, and in it for the medium to long term, that could be you! Think about variety with your choices as well before you commit to one or the other. No one on TSF has a crystal ball or knows what the outside World will throw at us to spoil our dreams….

Just luv those Gillicks, especially the ‘57 pack leader…. Thought for a moment L.C. was making a personal come-back!

Oh yeah?! But I’m far too busy to go through them. It was a 50 coin job lot from BBP - don’t mind the odd fake!……😁

Interesting to have these strategies/preferences if you can afford them, and you obviously can, but I suspect most TSF members are less ambitious. I’ve often referred to ‘plastic coffins’ myself, only because I don’t do grading and prefer to keep proofs in their original capsules. My ‘core’ bullion is split between sovereigns and 1oz gold, but 1/4 size proofs I find more enjoyable to collect now. Over the years I’ve collected almost everything, like betting on every runner in a horse race perhaps, but not for money! As I’m already retired, my gold doesn’t figure in funding my lifestyle, just possessing it is my real attachment. I guess we are all different…..👍

Quite agree! We all end up here and eventually forgotten……☹️

Compare it with the first £1 - 1983 Piedfort. Unfortunately the round pounds were too easy to fake!……

The RM has been trying to diversify even before ‘Covid’ to compensate for the Worldwide downturn in circulating coinage. However, the RM will find much competition from all the other “Mints” such as The Tower Mint, amongst others, originally founded by Raphael Maklouf. It seems this mint took over from the Pobjoy Mint who lost its Isle of Man contract and is now out of business. ( I digress !) In turn every mint will have to rely on commemoratives or bullion perhaps… https://www.towermint.co.uk This company has interesting partners…….!

@ant1882 Hi, Just confirmation of all the comments above. This is an 1895 with similar wear, and weighs exactly the same!😀

All my Proof sovereigns (forgot the 1997 - still in the box!) No more sovereigns for me, as now switched to 1/4oz gold Brits, QBs etc…..

What! Another one? This was 30 years ago….1994.

Looks good to me!,😁😁 Just love those Gillicks……..

Hard to believe that an average 1 oz gold is now over £1900! after I checked out my usual source at ATS this afternoon. That’s more than double what I’d like to pay (2017) ! So, like many others I’ve had to downsize. In my case it’s to 1/4 oz gold. But It seems that 1/4 Sovs or 1/10th oz are popular, even 1 g bars. For me the price of gold has already gone past the moon, and is now on a ‘slingshot’ course to Mars. It’s far too high!🙁 .

Finally worked out which Vic was missing - the ‘small head’ shield, which is in a group within the Type 1A obverse 1838- 47 inclusive. I had it all along, an 1843, but you have to look closely to see the difference, unlike for example the small/ large head of the SA sovereigns where the difference is more obvious…

I’m a great supporter of Canada, as you can see! Any chance of Canadian citizenship?…….😁

https://www.thesilverforum.com/topic/731-dilemma/?do=findComment&comment=10886 Just trawled back nearly 10 years to find out how much a sovereign was then. Yes, TSF has been going for that long. My last Sovereign was from Harrington & Byrne (2022) at £319, but £400 will also seem cheap, soon enough…..!

https://www.windsormint.co.uk Another ‘mint’ posing as British. Check out the George V sovereign - What a bargain!…

Let’s face it, Oxford Mint sounds awfully British, but technically it’s an Anglo-Saxon production! Anyway, I’ve already got a hundred of these - I can’t be bothered with 1 gram tiddlers!….

Here’s a partial list of other ‘coin minting’ marketing companies:- Commonwealth Mint, London Mint office, Tower Mint, Jubilee Mint, Windsor Mint, Westminster Mint, and now a new boy on the block, Oxford Mint, and last but not least The Royal Mint! I nearly forgot ‘Hattons of London’ and Harrington & Byrne! Can anyone suggest a connection between the names of these companies?!! In the past I have checked out all these companies, the majority of which target the general public. It may well be that if you feel the price and quality is good, then go ahead. It’s a very competitive business and many have grouped together as ‘partners’ However, their advertising can often be misleading, often trying to present a legitimate connection with our Royalty and History. I am impressed by the tactic of Oxford Mint for testing the water on TSF (Market Research) Often our Overseas Territories such as Ascension Island, T.D.C. St Helena & Gibraltar are represented and where possible covered up to look like a RM product. Of course George & the dragon is often used as well. In this case it’s Ascension Island. Effigies on the obverse can be by ex RM engravers such as Clarke and Maklouf. Other companies are now minting 1/8th Sovereigns, but the RM could also be accused of making the 1/4 Sovereign for the same reason - something else that was never in circulation! One company that does mint quality coins for St Helena is the EIC - East India Company. However, best not to delve too deeply into the history of the original company, because it was lucratively involved in the Slave trade along the Guinea Gold Coast in the late 17th century…..

@Keely https://britanniacoincompany.com/buy-coins/proof-sets/1986-proof-gold-sovereign/ Interesting choice, the 1986 Proof Sovereign. Date run or special year? Also seen this at £800 by BBP. It’s a pity no bullion version. Good-luck!

Definitely a ‘FAKE’ just like all the other bog standard bullion sovereigns minted by the R.M since 1998……! I’m off to check out my ‘Gillicks’ - bye.🙂

Photo not clear enough. To determine the date, a letter of the alphabet has to be identified from a book of hallmarks. All I can identify is the folded up Ten shilling (10/-) note issued by the Bank of England from 1930 - 1955 worth 50p in todays money! Looks like 9ct gold to me (375) which is the norm for charm bracelets.

Just been looking at the beginning of this topic by @Paul when gold was between £700 & £800! I joined in 2018 when an ounce was still below £1000, and a good time to fill your boots. Next month is the 10th anniversary of TSF - Has anything been planned? Perhaps free silver rounds for long serving members?😁 Ha, Ha. This all started by monitoring Silver, not Gold! When I started in 1997 Sovereigns were £45/50 and a 1oz for about £200, so the increase has been about x8. I know that inflation has eaten away at the spending power of any profit made, but it’s better than nothing. Good-luck for all members who are holding gold for the medium to long-term…..

How dare you criticise one of my ‘Britannia’ designs & previous avatars! 😁 (Just joking) This latest one looks as if she’s Victoria Beckham pouting, and sniffing for cocaine in the sea spray! Bring back Arnold Machin I say.