This 1859 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Ansell Shield London NGC AU-55 was issued by the Royal Mint.

The Ansell sovereign is considered to be rare amongst sovereign collectors. These sovereigns are struck from George Ansell's reworked gold alloy, which is considered to be tougher than that of a normal sovereign.

The Ansell sovereign can be identified by an additional line in the rear headband. With a mintage of 167,539 the 1859 sovereign is a must-have for collectors.

This coin is graded as AU-55 by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC).

George Ansell

George Ansell was born on the 4th of march in 1826. Ansell was born in Carshalton which is within the London Borough Of Sutton. He started his working life with the intention of becoming a medical professional. He started as an apprentice to a surgeon which was then abandoned for chemistry. Ansell's background in chemistry meant he could be persuaded by The Royal Mint to experiment with a brittle alloy to strike coins. He later managed to produce 167,539 gold sovereigns.

Ansell Sovereigns

George Ansell was rewarded for his work by the mint master and was given a considerable cash bonus of £100 (which was quite a lot in those days). He was praised on the strength of the reworked gold alloy and it's said that the alloy could not be broken by an ordinary man even when attacked with pliers. (We would however not recommend trying to repeat this experiment).

The 1859 Ansell is a piece of sovereign history with a mintage of just 167,539 compared to the total 1859 sovereigns 1,547,603.

Obverse

The obverse of the coin features William Wyon's young head portrait of Queen Victoria.

Reverse

Designed by Jean Baptiste Merlen, the reverse features a crowned shield of the Royal Arms. This design was used from 1838 until 1887.

Key Information

Product ID	16494
Stock Status	Out of Stock

Product Spec

Metal	Gold
Diameter	22.05mm
Weight/Size	Full
Gold Weight Troy Ounces	0.2354
Fineness/Carat	0.917 / 22
Date	1859
Obverse Designer	William Wyon
Reverse Designer	Jean Baptiste Merlen
Issuing Monarch	Victoria (1837-1901)
Mint/Brand	The Royal Mint
Country	United Kingdom

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