Steeped in history, the sovereign was first issued as a gold hammered coin in 1489 and reintroduced as a modern sovereign in 1817 as part of the British Coinage Act of 1816.

In 1865, British sovereigns were only minted at The Royal Mint in London. Struck in 22 carat gold, these sovereigns were issued for circulation with a nominal value of one pound.

All 1865 sovereigns are London Mint second (large) head portrait, shield reverse, with die number in the space below the wreath on the reverse.

Mint mark	Mint	Mintage
L	London	1,450,238

Obverse

The obverse of the sovereign shows the young portrait design of Victoria. This is the second (large) head variety. The initials, WW, for the engraver William Wyon are incuse without stops in the truncated neck.

The obverse bears a short inscription VICTORIA DEI GRATIA and the year date, 1865.

Reverse

The reverse of the sovereign shows Jean Baptiste Merlen's shield design. The die number is located above the rose at the bottom of the coin.

Specification

Diameter	22.05mm
Weight	7.9881g
Alloy	22 carat gold
Fineness	0.916
Actual Gold Weight	0.2354 Troy oz
Obverse Designer	William Wyon
Reverse Designer	Jean Baptiste Merlen
Mint	London
Mintage	1,450,238
Finish	Uncirculated

Obverse Grade

Reverse Grade

Price

Availability

£830.96

Out Of Stock

aUNC

£1,320.76

Out Of Stock

aVF

£765.35

In Stock

Fine

£617.35

In Stock

£867.35

In Stock

gFine

£767.35

In Stock

Date

Obverse

Reverse

Price

04 May 2020

£680.90

07 November 2023

aVF

£703.50

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.

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.

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Customer from Scotland

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5 days ago

1865 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London