Fantastic Highly Collectible South African Mint 1929 George V Full Gold Sovereign In Superb Investment Condition.

Beautiful 22K gold sovereign (8g). The detail on this coin is fantastic. In lovely order with almost all of its original lustre intact. Absolutely marvellous coin. Please browse all 24 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory.

The 1929 South Africa Gold Sovereign was struck at the Pretoria branch of the Royal Mint. It is a highly significant year for collectors as it introduced a redesigned "small head" portrait of King George V.

Kindly note: I also have an identical uncirculated 1928 version of this coin, also South African mint, and as yet unlisted. It’s uncirculated, hence a touch dearer. If interested please make contact.

George V (1865 – 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Queen Victoria, George was third in the line of succession behind his father, the Prince of Wales, and his own elder brother, Prince Albert Victor.

The very first gold Sovereign was struck during Henry VII’s reign. On 28th October 1489, the king ordered the officers of his Royal Mint to produce “A new money of gold.” Up to that point, gold coins had been in circulation for over a hundred years, so the Sovereign certainly wasn’t the first gold coin to be minted in England. It was, however, the largest and most valuable ever seen at that time.

This large, handsome coin clearly sent out a message of stability and prestige after the turmoil of the wars. Succeeding monarchs all chose to strike new versions of the Sovereign themselves, indicating their own power and strength. It wasn’t until the reign of James I, crowned King of England and Scotland in 1603, that the practice died out.

After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the authorities carried out a review of the nation’s coinage & the Gold sovereign returned. The new gold coin of 1817 was almost half the weight and diameter of the original Sovereign, but it was equally as beautiful. The reverse featured an image of St George and the dragon that had been designed by one of the most celebrated gem engravers in the world, Benedetto Pistrucci.

In 1825 the image of St George was replaced with a more conventional image of the royal coat of arms. After people criticised the poor state of the coin designs, the St George design was reinstated during Queen Victoria’s reign. From 1871 onwards, the Saint and the dragon appeared on the reverse alongside a shield design, both of which bore an image of the young Queen Victoria on the obverse.

Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee took place in 1887, when new designs were unveiled for the gold and silver coins. Once more, Pistrucci’s St George was chosen for the reverse of The Sovereign and has appeared on the Sovereigns of every monarch since Victoria’s reign. It has featured on every bullion Sovereign of the twentieth century apart from five special occasions, including Her Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee year in 2002 and the 200th anniversary of the modern Sovereign itself in 2017.