George IV Gold Sovereigns
George IV Gold Sovereigns
In honor of the new King George IV, sovereign coins designed by Benedetto Pistrucci were issued with his image annually from 1821 to 1830.
The first George IV Gold Sovereigns in 1821 depicted a laureate head monarch on the obverse and St. George and the Dragon on the reverse.
Prior to 1821, St. George had been portrayed within a garter bearing the motto "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense", from the Order of the Garter. Starting with the George IV sovereign in 1921, the garter was omitted and replaced by a border. Considered a rarity today, an uncirculated example of this coin is considered a collector’s item.
The 1822 coin is somewhat unusual in that many excellent forgeries were made in the 1970's in Lebanon. Even experts struggled with the 1822 George IV’s authenticity. These forgeries had such genuine detail that a number of them were sold in good faith by experienced coin dealers and auction houses.
By 1825, the coin’s design was changed to a bareheaded and less chubby-cheeked George IV on the obverse and the royal shield on the reverse.
In 1823 and 1826, only one-tenth of the coins were printed as compared to 1822. This makes these years particularly rare, with a very fine grade going for up to $10,000 among collectors. 1825 is also rare.
In 1828, only 386,182 copies of the coin were struck, and this coin is considered the rarest of the George IV Gold Sovereigns series. High grades are virtually impossible to find. An extremely fine grade, if located, could go for around
$20,000.
High grade rare George IV gold sovereigns continue to be sought after by collectors. Even lower grade coins, which can show wear and tear on the raised surfaces or which have some of the lettering worn away, are highly prized by coin experts.
George IV Gold Sovereigns on eBay
 1825 King GEORGE IV Full GOLD Sovereign Extremely RARE R3 $5,133.38 Time Remaining: 2d 16h 40m Buy It Now for only: $5,133.38 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
 King George IV Brass Imitation 1823 Double Sovereign Gaming Counter Jeton $1.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 3d 19h 37m |
 1829 GEORGE IV SHIELD GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN COIN BOX COA $1,999.95 Time Remaining: 3d 21h 56m Buy It Now for only: $1,999.95 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
 1823 GEORGE IV GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN COIN $979.29 (11 Bids) Time Remaining: 4d 18h 37m |
 1823 KING GEORGE IV IIII GOLD DOUBLE SOVEREIGN TWO 2 POUND COIN $2,227.10 (18 Bids) Time Remaining: 4d 18h 39m |
 1826 GEORGE IV GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN COIN $489.65 (12 Bids) Time Remaining: 4d 18h 47m |
 1829 GEORGE IV GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN COIN $489.65 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 4d 18h 57m |
 1830 GEORGE IV GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN COIN $568.62 (12 Bids) Time Remaining: 4d 19h 5m |
