Until we came to show the Michael A Marsh reference numbers in the listings on this page, we had not realised for some reason that Michael Marsh's book "The Gold Sovereign" only makes passing reference to the fact that some sovereigns in this series have the engraver's initials WW on the truncation of Queen Victoria's neck incuse rather than raised. Spink show these as a separate and distinct variety. You can read more about this variation on our Raised and Incuse WW Initials - A Marsh Anomaly page.

All shield sovereigns from 1838 to 1852 have raised initials, all first type shields from 1856 to 1863 have incuse (cut-in) initials, while the three dates from 1853 to 1855 occur in both varieties.

We cannot think why Michael treated both varieties as the same. He states in both the 1980 and 2002 Golden Jubilee editions "These letters also appear incuse on some coins". Michael quite rightly went into great detail on a number of other coins, such as the 1859 Ansell variety which has an almost unnoticeable double ribbon line. Compared with the Ansell, we believe that the incuse WW initial are important enough to be recognised as a distinct and separate sub-type.

I (Lawrence) had the pleasure and good fortune to have a lengthy telephone conversation with Michael about 6 months before his death. He expressed an intention to publish an updated version of The Gold Sovereign, incorporating research he had done since the publication of the Golden Jubilee edition, and also some material which, although known at the time of publication, he did not feel he had researched sufficiently for publication. He explained that he had not been in the best of health, and was hoping to be able to continue before too long. During the conversation, I formed an intention to try to find time to visit him to discuss sovereigns, and I offered him the use of one of our photographs for the next edition. Sadly none of this came to pass.

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.

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 the truncation. Depending on the variation, the engraver's intials are either raised or incuse.

The inscription reads

VICTORIA DEI GRATIA

and the date (1855) appears below the portrait.

Reverse

The reverse of the 1855 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

Metal	Gold
Diameter	22.05mm
Weight / Size	Full
Gold Weight Troy Ounces	0.235
Fineness / Carat	0.917 / 22
Mintage Figure	8,448,482
Date	1855
Spink Reference	3852C/D
Obverse Designer	William Wyon
Reverse Designer	Jean Baptiste Merlen
Issuing Monarch	Victoria (1837-1901)
Mint / Brand	The Royal Mint
Country	United Kingdom

Obverse Grade

Reverse Grade

Price

Availability

aVF

£824.09

Out Of Stock

aFine

£674.09

Out Of Stock

Fine

gFine

£749.09

Out Of Stock

aEF

£1,094.09

Out Of Stock

£874.09

In Stock

gVF

aEF

£994.09

In Stock

Fine

£724.09

In Stock

gVF

£974.09

In Stock

Date

Obverse

Reverse

Price

20 June 2024

aFine

£613.93

20 November 2024

Fine

gFine

£742.01

26 November 2024

aEF

£1,093.17

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).
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Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

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Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

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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.

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1855 Gold Full Sovereign Victoria London Mint