1870 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London

There are two types of 1870 Victoria Young Head sovereigns. They both feature the second (larger) portrait with a die number below the ribbon of the wreath and above the floral emblem on the reverse.

The first type has the engraver's initials, WW, incuse and the second type features the WW in relief, both are located in the truncation of the neck. This 22 carat gold British sovereign features the crown-topped shield reverse by Jean Baptiste-Merlen.

Die Numbers - Please see our die numbers page for more information about die numbers.

Die Cracks - As you can see, the coin in our photograph has a very obvious, well developed die-crack running from the edge, through the numeral 1 of the date, to the neck. We find die cracks such as this to be interesting, and the fact that the crack will have worsened gradually gives every coin its own very slightly different identity from all others of the same date and die number. Eventually the die would have failed and been replaced.

Type Coins - If you are not looking for a particular date, but want a nice example of this type of sovereign, you can order a "type coin". Just look at our list of dates, grades and prices. Select the price you wish to pay, and we will send you the best grade coin we have available for that price, with our choice of date.

Guarantee - All our coins are guaranteed genuine, and we try to grade reasonably conservatively. For customers ordering by post, we want you to be delighted when you receive your coin. We thrive on repeat business and recommendation.

We Buy Gold Sovereigns

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 shown without stops in the truncated neck. You can choose whether to have the first incuse type or the second in relief type.

The obverse bears a short inscription VICTORIA DEI GRATIA and the year date, 1870.

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.