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  • 1849 Sovereign Queen Victoria Young Head Portrait gVF / aEF Reverse
    gVF / aEF Reverse
  • 1849 Sovereign Queen Victoria Young Head Portrait gVF / aEF Obverse
    gVF / aEF Obverse
  • 1849 Sovereign Queen Victoria Young Head Portrait gVF / aEF Reverse
  • 1849 Sovereign Queen Victoria Young Head Portrait gVF / aEF Obverse
Estimated UK Delivery
£6.00
Stock status
2 Grades Available
Product ID
11233

1849 Gold Full Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London Mint

The 1849 Gold sovereign features the young head portrait of Queen Victoria as the obverse engraving with the reverse featuring the crowned shield design by Jean Baptiste Merlen.

The 1849 gold sovereign is the second date for the new Queen Victoria "second head" shield sovereign. This is second type of Victoria sovereign was issued from 1848 to 1872, has a slightly larger head in lower relief, and the reverse legends are repositioned. The first type, issued from 1838 to 1848, has a smaller head in higher relief.

See the rest of the 1849 Sovereign Collection.

Photographs shown may not be the actual coin and may differ in terms of grade, die numbers, design flaws and other minor details.

from £913.20

(VAT Exempt)
Totals are approximate until metal prices are confirmed on the next LBMA fix.

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Price List

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Terms & Delivery

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Hammered gold coins called 'sovereigns' had been minted on and off between 1489-1604, whereupon James I (VI) changed the name of the 20/- gold piece to a 'Unite'. The reform coinage sovereign of 1817 onwards was issued as a normal circulation type coin, and also as a proof. 

There is another variation of the 1849 sovereign, the standard form and an alternative with the "1" of the date being replaced by a Roman I. A coin with this design on the obverse could be worth even more than the standard form.

Trying to spot the differences in detail is quite difficult, but it is very easy to sort them "by sight". Once you get used to looking at the different variations, you should be able to recognise the second head instantly because of the change in the size of Queen Victoria's head.

Obverse

Designed by William Wyon, Chief Engraver, the obverse features the second (large) young head portrait facing left of the young Queen at just 18 years old. This larger bust fills more of the area of the coin and shows Victoria's hair held by a double fillet and gathered into a loosely knotted bun. The initials W.W. are set in relief in the rear of the truncation.

The inscription reads

VICTORIA DEI GRATIA

and the date (1849) appears below the portrait. 

Reverse

The reverse of the 1849 gold sovereign was designed by engraver, Jean Baptiste Merlen. It features the shield design,which is mounted by a crown. It also has a branch of laurel leaves on either side. The branches are tied, with a ribbon in a bow, below the shield.

Beneath this, the reverse displays the thistle, rose and shamrock (symbolising the unity of Scotland, England and Ireland) with a small flower stop on each side.

The inscription reads

BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:

completing the monarch's legend, which begins on the obverse.

Specification

MetalGold
Diameter22.05mm
Weight / SizeFull
Gold Weight Troy Ounces0.235
Fineness / Carat0.917 / 22
Mintage Figure1,755,399
Date1849
Spink Reference3852C
Obverse DesignerWilliam Wyon
Reverse DesignerJean Baptiste Merlen
Issuing Monarch Victoria (1837-1901)
Mint / BrandThe Royal Mint
CountryUnited Kingdom
Price List
ObverseReversePriceAvailability
gVFgVF£1,462.20Out Of Stock
VFgVF£1,338.20Out Of Stock
gFinegFine£813.20Out Of Stock
gFineaVF£913.20In Stock
gVFaEF£1,567.20In Stock
Sold Prices
Date Obverse Reverse Price
04 May 2020 VF gVF £575.60
23 February 2021 gFine gFine £562.43
Terms & Delivery

2024 Christmas Opening Hours and Despatch Dates

General

  • Tuesday 24th December 2024 - Phone lines 9:30 - 14:00 (Last showroom appointment 12:00pm - Collections Only). 
  • Wednesday 25th December 2024 - Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Closed (Urgent enquiries will still be answered during this time).
  • Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
  • All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

  • Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

  • Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
  • Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas –  Wednesday 18th December
  • Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December

Internationals

  • Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
  • Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

  • Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th

New Year

  • First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6. 

Orders under £60

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products. 

  • Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
  • Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee. 

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase. 

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out. 

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

Related Blogs

If you would like to read more about the gold sovereign, perhaps Britains most iconic numismatic piece: 

The Coins of Queen Victoria - Young Head Portrait

The Sovereign - Britain's Favourite Gold Coin