1958 Full Gold Bullion Sovereign

The Sovereign is considered by many to be the flagship of The Royal Mint. The first ever Sovereign coin was commissioned by Henry VII in 1489, and by each Tudor Monarch until the reign of James I, when the Sovereign disappeared for two centuries. Revived in 1817 as part of the great coinage reform at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it traditionally featured a heraldic reverse. This was later abandoned in favour of a 'St George and the dragon' design by Benedetto Pistrucci. The modern gold Sovereign was first minted in Britain from 1817 until 1917, and then in 1925, 1957–59, 1962–68, 1974, 1976, 1978–82 and 2000 to the present day. Modern gold bullion Sovereign production was paused after 1982 up until the year 2000, although Proof versions were still issued. 

The Sovereign ceased being in circulation during the First World War, when the public were asked to surrender gold Sovereigns to; support the war effort, pay off international debts, and build up the Bank of England reserves. 

The 1958 Gold Sovereign Bullion coin hosts a portrait of Elizabeth II by Mary Gillick. HM Queen Elizabeth II is the current and longest reigning British monarch of all time. Born on 21st April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Princess Elizabeth became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was held on 2nd June 1953.

Buy a 1958 Gold Sovereign 

• This pre-owned 1958 gold bullion Sovereign is struck in 22 carat gold, weighs 7.98g and contains 7.32g of fine gold. 
• A mintage of 8,700,140 million Sovereign coins were produced at The Royal Mint for the year 1958, inclusive of a few rare Proof versions.
• The gold Sovereign is considered to be one of the world's oldest coins still in production and a pinnacle of minting excellence. 
• The perfect gift to mark a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or wedding.

The year 1958

The year 1958 witnessed; the formation of the European Economic Community (EEC), a patent filed for the Lego brick, Manchester United footballers and 14 other people killed in Munich Air Disaster, Egypt and Syria form the United Arab Republic, Gerald Hottom design the 'peace symbol' for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in its first year, Cuba's Fidel Castro attacking Havana, the founding of Warner Bros., the opening of the first Pizza Hut in Kansas, the US markets the 'hula hoop', Prince Charles entitled the Prince of Wales, the formation of NASA, Japan begin selling instant noodles, the Notting Hill riots in London, BBC start broadcasting Blue Peter, The Queen make the first trunk-dialling long distance telephone call from Bristol to Edinburgh, the first motorway opening in the UK, and the Japanese 10 yen coin minted with smooth instead of serrated edges. 1958 was a remarkable year in history, now immortalised in coinage. 

The 1958 Gold Bullion Sovereign Coin

The Obverse (front, heads) presents Queen Elizabeth II's first portrait by Mary Gillick. The first Portrait of Elizabeth II was issued on British coinage in 1953, the year of Her Majesty's Coronation. The image hosts a youthful and uncrowned Queen. Gillick competed against 16 artists for the honour of designing the first Portrait of Elizabeth II. Her design stood out for its absence of a crown and The Queen's 'approachable' depiction. As a tribute to Mary Gillick, the design is still struck on Maundy Money today at The Queen's request. 

The Reverse (back, tails) of the 1958 gold bullion Sovereign hosts the signature 1817 'St George and the Dragon' design by Benedetto Pistrucci. 19th century talented Italian engraver Pistrucci was instructed to develop designs for George III's silver and gold coins by The Master of The Mint. Pistrucci also designed the Waterloo Medal for the British Government, a commission which took the artist 30 years to create.

The coin includes the inscription, 'DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF', which translates to 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'. The inscription refers to HM Queen Elizabeth II's position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Elizabeth II has held the role since her accession to the throne in 1952. 

A small number of Proof versions of the 1958 gold Sovereign were issued but these are exceptionally rare. This 1958 bullion coin may be supplied in an acrylic capsule. 

The Legend of St George and the Dragon

In a legend dating back to third century Britain, sees a story of the triumph of 'good over evil'. The inspiration behind the 'St George and the dragon' story is drawn from a Roman soldier who refused to give up his Christian faith. By the 13th century, 'St George the Dragon Slayer' was being portrayed with the red cross of the crusader. The most well-known tale sees St George as a heroic rescuer on horseback sent to rescue a young maiden sacrificed to a dragon, which he slays to save her life. It is widely believed that the dragon was slain at Uffington's Dragon Hill, a Bronze-age site just 20 miles away from The Britannia Coin Company's Royal Wootton Bassett premises. 

Universal Gold

The expression 'a sea of gold' is soaked in truth. Gold exists naturally in oceans and there is more gold in the sea than people have ever mined. However, to refine gold from the sea is far more expensive than traditional gold-mining. It is also widely believed that gold exists on other planets including Mercury, Venus and Mars. Though it is not currently plausible, there may come a day when a gold coin like this 1958 Sovereign may be quite literally out of this world!