1871 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London

The 1871 British sovereign were minted in both London and Sydney. The London mint sovereign have the initials WW raised. This can be seen on the Young Head portrait on the obverse of the coin. Sydney sovereigns have the mintmark 'S' and London sovereigns have a die number: both are situated above the floral emblem.

The die numbers shown are for illustrative purposes only. We have an extensive stock of sovereigns, with various die numbers available; if you would like to know the die number you will receive, or are interested in specific die numbers, please contact our showroom on 01253 343 081 and we will check availability for you.

Royal Mint Sovereigns

The 1871 shield sovereigns were issued by The Royal Mint in London and the Australian branch mint in Sydney. The Melbourne mint did not start producing sovereigns until 1872. Curiously there is an 1872 overdate, with 1872 over 1871 known for the Melbourne mint.

1871 Sovereign Types

There are three, very similar types for this year British sovereign. The first type are from The Royal Mint in London - they all have die numbers below the shield on the reverse. The designer's initial WW are raised on the truncation of the neck.

The second type were minted at The Royal Mint branch mint in Sydney.

The third type is a variation of the Sydney mint sovereign but with the initials W.W incuse, unlike the other two where the W.W., are raised. Marsh fails to differentiate between these two types, however, Spink do.

British Sovereign Coins

The modern sovereign was introduced in 1817. Struck in 22 carat gold, this British coin is produced to specifications which are checked each year by the Trial of the Pyx. 

Mintage Figures

Notes: * These mintage figures combine the two initial types, WW incuse and relief.

The obverse shows the Young Head portrait by William Wyon. The initials WW are in relief on the truncation of the neck.

The reverse shows the shield design by Jean Baptiste Merlen. The die number is situated above the floral emblem consisting of a rose, shamrock and thistle.