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1848 Victoria Gold Full Sovereign Second Larger Head Coin

1848 Victoria Gold Full Sovereign Second Larger Head Coin Obverse

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1848 Victoria Gold Full Sovereign Second Larger Head Coin Obverse
1848 Victoria Gold Full Sovereign Second Larger Head Coin Reverse

Buy a 1848 Sovereign

Scarce 1848 Victorian gold Sovereigns (S 3852C, Marsh 31 - S). In this calendar year, some 2,246,701 Sovereigns were struck by the Royal Mint. These 22-carat gold coins feature the second, larger variant of William Wyon's Young Head effigy of Queen Victoria facing left, her hair bound up with two fillets, with the date (1848) below. The second Young Head bust was introduced in this year with some rarer 1848 Sovereigns featuring the earlier 'small' Young Head. The reverse shows Jean Baptiste Merlen's crowned shield of arms design, surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves. This shield-back design was the standard reverse for early Victorian gold Sovereigns struck at the London branch of the Royal Mint.
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Description Specification Summary

Second Larger Young Head Portrait

These coins feature the second, larger-type Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria, designed by Royal Mint engraver William Wyon. The date (1848) is shown below with the inscription above reading 'VICTORIA DEI GRATIA'. The larger bust fills the field, Victoria's hair brushing the legend.

Jean Baptiste Merlen's Shield Reverse

The reverse shows a crowned and quartered shield of royal arms within a wreath of laurels, tiny national flowers below, together with an inscription that reads 'BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:'. This classic Sovereign reverse was designed by Jean Baptiste Merlen.

What Are Sovereigns Made From?

Gold 'full' Sovereigns like these 1848 coins are struck in 22-carat gold to a specification established in 1817. These coins measure just over 22 millimetres in diameter and weigh approximately 7.98 grams.

Mintage Figures For 1848 Sovereigns

Recrods show that 2,246,701 gold Sovereigns were produced by the Royal Mint in 1848, a figure that includes both the large head variety coins and the scarcer small head 1848 variety.

Collecting Early Victorian Gold Coins

Early Victorian gold Sovereigns are a fascinating area of focus for serious numismatists looking to complete a complex series. Shield-back Sovereigns are generally scarcer than their later St George reverse counterparts and are sought-after for this reason.