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  • 1871 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London Die Number 8
    reverse - die number 8
  • 1871 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London Obverse
    obverse
  • 1871 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London Die Number 8
  • 1871 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield London Obverse
Premium
From 30%
Surcharge
from £60.10
Estimated UK Delivery
£6.00
Stock status
8 Grades Available
Product ID
5928

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.

Photographs shown may not be the actual coin and may differ in terms of grade, die numbers, design flaws and other minor details.

from £703.42

(VAT Exempt)
Totals are approximate until metal prices are confirmed on the next LBMA fix.

More Info

Price List

Sold Prices

Terms & Delivery

More Info

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

Mint mark Mint Mintage
L London 8,767,250
S Sydney, Australia 2,814,000*
  Total 11,581,250*

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

Obverse

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

Reverse

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.

Specification

MetalGold
Diameter22.05mm
Weight / SizeFull
Gold Weight Troy Ounces0.235
Fineness / Carat0.917 / 22
Mintage Figure8,767,250
Date1871
Obverse DesignerWilliam Wyon
Reverse DesignerJean Baptiste Merlen
Issuing Monarch Victoria (1837-1901)
Mint / BrandThe Royal Mint
CountryUnited Kingdom
Price List
ObverseReversePriceAvailability
aEFaEF£1,048.42Out Of Stock
gVFaEF£988.42In Stock
VFgVF£988.42Out Of Stock
aVFaEF£880.92In Stock
aVFgVF£833.42In Stock
aVFVF£795.92Out Of Stock
gFinegVF£795.92In Stock
gFineVF£758.42In Stock
gFineaVF£703.42In Stock
FineaVF£703.42Out Of Stock
FinegFine£643.32Out Of Stock
EFEF£1,188.42Out Of Stock
aEFEF£1,118.42Out Of Stock
gFineVF£758.42In Stock
aEFaEF£2,753.57In Stock
Sold Prices
Date Obverse Reverse Price
25 June 2016 aVF VF £492.98
16 September 2016 Fine gFine £346.64
01 April 2017 Fine aVF £380.43
26 June 2017 Fine gFine £340.24
16 November 2017 gFine aVF £390.16
28 February 2020 gFine aVF £347.55
16 July 2021 Fine gFine £440.33
20 March 2023 Fine gFine £541.88
14 November 2023 Fine gFine £480.73
15 December 2023 aEF EF £962.63
Terms & Delivery

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).
  • Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
  • All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

  • Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

  • Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
  • Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas –  Wednesday 18th December
  • Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December

Internationals

  • Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
  • Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

  • Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th

New Year

  • First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

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. 

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.