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1831 Sovereign First Bust W.W. With Stops William IV Gold Coin

1831 Sovereign First Bust W.W. With Stops William IV Gold Coin Reverse

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1831 Sovereign First Bust W.W. With Stops William IV Gold Coin Reverse
1831 Sovereign First Bust W.W. With Stops William IV Gold Coin Obverse

Buy a 1831 Sovereign (First Bust W.W.)

1831 William IV First Bust gold Sovereign. Part of a recorded calendar year mintage of 598,547, this rare coin is among the most desirable issues of King William IV's short reign. The obverse features William Wyon’s first bust of King William IV, distinguished by the rounded ear and the alignment of the nose towards the second 'N' in 'BRITANNIAR', with incuse 'W.W.' initials to the truncation. The reverse, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, displays the crowned ensigns armorial of the United Kingdom above the date, inscribed as 'ANNO 1831'. All 1831 Sovereigns are rare or scarce, with a range of portrait and initial variants recorded. For the serious collector, this is a key addition.
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Description Specification Summary

Mantled Shield Reverse

The reverse of these Sovereigns displays the crowned ensigns armourial of the United Kingdom with 'ANNO 1833' below, an engraving by Jean Baptiste Merlen. This design was used on gold Sovereigns throughout William IV's reign.

First Bust Of William IV

This 1831 Sovereign shows the rarer first bust of King William IV, engraved by William Wyon. On this effigy, the top of the monarch's ear is rounder and his nose points towards the second 'N' in 'BRITANNIAR'.

Incuse W.W. Initials

On this coin, Wyon's initials are struck incuse to the truncation of the portrait's neck with stops as 'W.W.' though examples with no stops are also known. The legend reads 'GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:'.

1831 Annual Mintage

The recorded calendar year mintage for 1831 amounts to just 598,547 gold Sovereigns known to have been struck. This figure incorporates Sovereigns with the second bust, which is much rarer for this date, plus different WW initials.

Historic British Coins

Like all historic currency coins, 1831 first bust Sovereigns will show varied signs of use, including wear to the high points, minor scratches, marks and edge dings, commensurate with the age of the coin and the grade.