1/10 Britannia or Half Sovereign

[Timmo365]

Hi all,

I have neglected gold for far too long now, so have decided to add some fractional gold to my stack in the new year.

Out of interest, which do people prefer out of 1/10 Brits and Half Sovereigns and why? Is the size difference noticeable for example?

Cheers

 

[JunkBond]

Size difference is definitely noticeable, 19.3 mm of loveliness is the minimum I think.

[KitboyE17]

It all boils down to personal pref and perhaps If you have budget constraints - buy 1/10 as they are affordable and watch your gold stack grow to an impressive pile. 
 

of course the sovereign fans out there will compare gold content/price etc and return on investment. but if your stack is long term wealth you can still make profit ok 1/10 gold if you buy low and sell high. 
 

and remember 10 1/10 coins is 1oz gold

[ADK1080]

Funnily enough I have been going through the same dilemma. I don't have a huge budget so these fractional coins suit me down to the ground. I have bought one of each literally to help me decide. They are both small coins but the detail is still amazing. The half sovereign is a little bit bigger but a bit more expensive. I have done a few sums and as long as you buy bullion grade you are paying about the same per gram so it really comes down to preference. You have the 200 year history of the sovereign which means alot of choice, alot of royals to pick from, 2 main reverse designs (shield and st George) but also some interesting one off coins 1989, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2017 etc. Obviously you then have all the rare coins too. The Britannia is fairly new 1987 but also with some interesting reverse designs and rare mintage years. I've decided to look at both and just get the best coin for my money at the time I have the money ready. Proofs, rare coins and graded coins will have to wait for now.

Good luck with your choice 👍

Edited December 20, 2019 by ADK1080
Spelling 🤦

[Norskgeld]

1/10th Brit Pros= Cheaper than Half a Sov.

1/10th Brit Cons= It's not Half a Sov.

Half Sov Pros= It's not a 1/10th Brit.

Half Sov Cons= It's not a Full Sov.

.

[Timmo365]

42 minutes ago, ADK1080 said:

Funnily enough I have been going through the same dilemma. I don't have a huge budget so these fractional coins suit me down to the ground. I have bought one of each literally to help me decide. They are both small coins but the detail is still amazing. The half sovereign is a little bit bigger but a bit more expensive. I have done a few sums and as long as you buy bullion grade you are paying about the same per gram so it really comes down to preference. You have the 200 year history of the sovereign which means alot of choice, alot of royals to pick from, 2 main reverse designs (shield and st George) but also some interesting one off coins 1989, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2017 etc. Obviously you then have all the rare coins too. The Britannia is fairly new 1987 but also with some interesting reverse designs and rare mintage years. I've decided to look at both and just get the best coin for my money at the time I have the money ready. Proofs, rare coins and graded coins will have to wait for now.

Good luck with your choice 👍

Lol I can quite easily see myself purchasing both as well in the end. Thanks for your reply.

[Timmo365]

45 minutes ago, Norskgeld said:

1/10th Brit Pros= Cheaper than Half a Sov.

1/10th Brit Cons= It's not Half a Sov.

Half Sov Pros= It's not a 1/10th Brit.

Half Sov Cons= It's not a Full Sov.

.

I am hearing ya. Cheers for the response.

[ilovesilverireallydo]

Unless lucky - the premiums on 1/10 is usually higher than on half sovs. You can get half sovs around 2-3% over spot but 1/10 Brits tend to average 5% over spot. 

Personally I prefer the 1/10s but then I buy all sorts of crazy coins so shouldnt go by my advice lol. 

 

[AurumArgenti]

I know it's not what you've asked but save up and buy a full sovereign or 1/4 Brit.

Anything smaller is underwhelming and carries a even higher premium.

[richatthecroft]

Not a lot to not like about either Half Sovereigns or 1/10th coins- they are Gold.  

Lots of great points made above and the Half Sovereign appears to be 'winning' however, like @ilovesilverireallydo states, there's lots of differing coins to collect in the 1/10th weight.   Dependent on what 1/10th coins you gather up, they  are very easy to liquidate if you fancy a change/ need the cash- particularly Britannias & Krugerrands.

 You can also very quickly collect date runs and themes.  I would also draw your attention to the fact that some 1/10th coins have a larger diameter than a Half Sovereign- the Somalia Elephant for example- these are beautiful little coins.  

Good luck and have fun gathering them up whatever you decide.  

Edited December 20, 2019 by richatthecroft

[Fastnick]

Half Sovs almost every time for me - the premiums are lower, and if you are prepared to put the time and effort in you can pick up some at VERY keen prices.

I've got a few 1/10 Britannias, but they are more of a "personal indulgence", rather than an investment......

[Melon]

4 hours ago, KitboyE17 said:

It all boils down to personal pref and perhaps If you have budget constraints - buy 1/10 as they are affordable and watch your gold stack grow to an impressive pile. 

of course the sovereign fans out there will compare gold content/price etc and return on investment. but if your stack is long term wealth you can still make profit ok 1/10 gold if you buy low and sell high. 

and remember 10 1/10 coins is 1oz gold

1/10 and half sovs are very similar in price. I don't think affordability is an issue between the two. 

[ally5727]

I was thinking of this a while ago for my daughters personal little collection, i opted for the half sovs, they seem to come up more often on here and you get betters deals on the forum rather than buying online. if you havnt got your heart set on 1 or the other i persoanly would do whats already been suggested, save and buy a full sov or a 1/4 brit. Just my 2p

[diesel]

8 hours ago, Timmo365 said:

Hi all,

I have neglected gold for far too long now, so have decided to add some fractional gold to my stack in the new year.

Out of interest, which do people prefer out of 1/10 Brits and Half Sovereigns and why? Is the size difference noticeable for example?

Cheers

 

Both will sell like hotcakes if you was to put them up for sale on here, so buy smart and buy what you enjoy. 

[StackemHigh]

Half sovereigns will probably be easier to sell. But i like the 1/10th coins too. 

I stack bullion sovereigns and collect 1/10ths both BU  and proofs. 

 

[Frost]

Based on my research, both variants are great. Half Sovereign is bigger (3.99 gram vs 3.11 gram Britannia).
The best prices I've found for both:
Half Sovereign Grade C £142.61 at Chards https://www.chards.co.uk/half-bullion-sovereign-secondary-market-grade-c/3413

2020 1/10 oz Britannia£132 at BullionByPost https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-coins/small-britannias/2020-tenth-ounce-gold-britannia/

 

[Notafront4adragon]

8 minutes ago, Frost said:

Based on my research, both variants are great. Half Sovereign is bigger (3.99 gram vs 3.11 gram Britannia).
The best prices I've found for both:
Half Sovereign Grade C £142.61 at Chards https://www.chards.co.uk/half-bullion-sovereign-secondary-market-grade-c/3413

2020 1/10 oz Britannia£132 at BullionByPost https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-coins/small-britannias/2020-tenth-ounce-gold-britannia/

 

A half sovereign is 3.99g, but only 3.66g of that is gold. Post '13 Britannias are pure gold. 

 

[ilovesilverireallydo]

1/10s do look nice in black flips and can be filed away... but then the same for halves. Not sure what that adds to the conversation though 😂 

[Timmo365]

Well ilovesilverireallydo, you have proven that the 1/10 can most certainly be as sexy as the best of them. So for that well done.  

At the moment I am swinging slightly more towards the liquidity of the half sovereign and slightly bigger size, but this is not a done deal yet.  I plan to pull the trigger in the next two weeks.

[Melon]

2 hours ago, Timmo365 said:

Well ilovesilverireallydo, you have proven that the 1/10 can most certainly be as sexy as the best of them. So for that well done.  

At the moment I am swinging slightly more towards the liquidity of the half sovereign and slightly bigger size, but this is not a done deal yet.  I plan to pull the trigger in the next two weeks.

Maybe make it easy on yourself and just buy whichever has the lowest premium when you purchase. Over time you'll end up with a mix of both. 

[Timmo365]

7 hours ago, Melon said:

Maybe make it easy on yourself and just buy whichever has the lowest premium when you purchase. Over time you'll end up with a mix of both. 

That makes good sense.

[ShineyMagpie]

Aware this is an old thread, however I wonder if people's thoughts have changed over the last 3 years. Also what the originator ended up going with?

[Solachesis]

39 minutes ago, ShineyMagpie said:

Aware this is an old thread, however I wonder if people's thoughts have changed over the last 3 years. Also what the originator ended up going with?

Half sovs are a nice size. I think 1/10ths might be more liquid, I've seen half sovs stay up for a while unless really, really well priced, or something like a shield.

Constantly seeing multiple 10th ounces being sold as a bundle, as well as on their own 

[stefffana]

1 hour ago, ShineyMagpie said:

Aware this is an old thread, however I wonder if people's thoughts have changed over the last 3 years. Also what the originator ended up going with?

I would go anytime for 1/10th ounce. 3.11g of pure gold, very liquid, nice to add them in stack/collection at least monthly if not weekly.

Keeping the premium very well on resale on private market.

Can be diversified the stack/collection, being available lot of coins from several mints/countries.

So, my first option is 1/10oz gold.😊

 

[AaaGee]

Double sovereign or 1/2oz?