Buy a half gold sovereign victoria shield back online today and add this coin to your collection !

This coin has a higher collectible value compared to other half gold sovereigns. Gold sovereign collectors value this coin because of its unique design:

• The obverse depicts the young portrait of Queen Victoria.
• The reverse shows the Ensigns Armorials of the United Kingdom within a garnished shield. The shield is surmounted by a crown. Depending on the year, the die number is indicated under the Shield.

This coin has legal tender in UK and is exempt of Capital Gain Tax.

Are you looking to buy gold half sovereigns online ? Gerrards offers half sovereign gold coins for sale at low premium.

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Why the Shield Back reverse is more expensive than the St George reverse ?

Shield Back half sovereigns are scarcer and have a higher premium because of the following reasons :

On June 20, 1837, the Queen Victoria accessed to the throne of UK. The Royal Mint started to produce half sovereign gold coins the next year (1838). The initial reverse design was a shield containing the UK's Royal Coat of Arms.

In 1887, Benedetto Pistrucci's design (St George slaying a dragon) replaced the J.B Merlen's design (Shield). Both coins design circulated during the reign of the Queen Victoria. However, a small number of Shield Back half sovereigns survived.

Half Sovereigns with the Shield reverse became the first coins to be removed from circulation. The coins showed important wear after only few years of circulation. As a result, their weight felt rapidly under the minimum legal weight of 61.637 grains (3.994 g). Therefore, the British Government melted down early a lot of these coins.

Shield Back Half sovereigns have a lower mintage compared to other gold sovereigns from the Jubilee coinage period.

Why buy half Sovereign Victoria Shield Back ?

Buy half sovereign victoria shield back is a great way to add some collectibles to your coins collection. In fact, several facts contributed to the rarity of the half gold sovereign with the Victoria Young Head.

The Full and Half gold sovereigns served as british currency back in the days. Half sovereigns especially tended to circulate a lot in Victorian Britain. However, these coins were relatively thin and fragile. As they became quite worn overtime, the Royal Mint frequently withdrew a large quantity of these gold coins. It produced new half sovereign by melting down the old worn coins. For these reasons, half gold sovereigns from the early Victorian period are generally much more difficult to find in extremely good condition.

Mostly used  for "domestic" rather than international trades, these coins deteriorated quickly. This is because of the greater surface area of this coin. At the time, a lot of jewellers used a lot of these gold coins for their own creation. For instance, half gold sovereign used to be part of rings, earrings, bracelets or pendants. This contributes even more to the rarity Victoria half gold sovereign with the Shield Back reverse.

Finally, half gold sovereigns were costly to manufacture. The Royal Mint used to produce these coins in small quantities. Back in the days, a lot of collectors anticipated their future rarities and took these coins away from circulation. Therefore, it is difficult to buy half sovereign Victoria Shield Back in uncirculated condition.

More about half Sovereign Victoria Young Head ?

The Victorian period is considered as the golden age of the gold sovereign. A lot of varieties of gold sovereigns from the Jubilee coinage period exists. Varieties include:

• A die number on the reverse.
• The overdate "8 over 7" for the 1848 issue.
• No engravers initials ("W.W" for William Wyon)

With the large number of coins melted down, some types became extremely rare.

Brief History of the half Sovereign Victoria Young Head

The Queen Victoria from the House of Hanover began her reign and accessed to the throne the 20 June 1837, following the death of her uncle. She enjoyed the reign of any monarch so far.

Full and Half gold Sovereign were among used as british currency during the Victorian period. The half sovereign circulated more often than the full sovereign. However, it was frequent that the british government melt the worn coins to mint new ones.

One of the key characteristics of the Sovereign Victoria Young Head is there Shield design. The gold sovereign Victoria with the Young Head portrait and the Shield reverse was produced by the Royal Mint in London from 1838 to 1887 inclusive. However, some years are exceptions because they were not produced. These include 1840, 1867 and 1876. The half Sovereign Victoria Young Head was also produced in Australia, at the Melbourne and Sydney Mint.

The Royal Mint did not produced any half gold sovereign during the Victorian reign on the following date: 1839 - 1840, 1854, 1868, 1881-1882, 1886, 1888 - 1889.

More about Half Gold Sovereigns

The surface of this coin is more fragile than the traditional Full Gold Sovereign. But half sovereigns are also scarcer for another reason.

Half gold sovereigns served as british currency in United Kingdom, before the decimal era. These coins circulated a lot in United Kingdom. However, they were more fragile than Full Gold Sovereigns. As a result, most of these gold coins got damaged overtime.

In the late 1960s, the UK government destroyed more than 60 % of the half gold sovereign. The reason was their weight falling under the legal authorised weight. As a result, most of these coins have been melted down.

Why buy gold sovereigns ?

Gold Sovereigns are the Royal Mint’s flagship product with the Gold Britannia, combining traditional manufacturing with symbols of Great Britain’s history.

• They contain 7.99 grams of 22 carats gold. This gold-copper alloy coupled with their small size make them more resistant, durable and ideal for trading.
• They have a highly liquid value. You can easily sell these bullion coins to any jeweller or bullion dealer around the world.
• They generally carry a small premium over the gold spot price. This is due because of their high demand from both gold investors and collectors.
• They offer the best of bullion and numismatics in one investment.