Half Sovereign Queen Victoria Gold Coin | Mixed Years

Half Sovereign, Queen Victoria

3.99 g gross at 22 carat, 3.6612 g of pure gold, 19.30 mm across. The same standard as every Half Sovereign before and since.

Specifications

Two different reverses

This is the one Victorian coin where the reverse genuinely varies. Through the Young Head and Jubilee Head coinages the Half Sovereign carried Jean Baptiste Merlen’s crowned quartered shield of arms. Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon reached the Half Sovereign only in 1893, with the Old Head portrait by Thomas Brock.

Both are the same weight and the same gold. Which one you receive depends on the date, and mixed-year stock ships as available.

Why UK coins are treated differently

HMRC exempts sterling currency from capital gains tax, and the exemption reaches Sovereigns minted in 1837 and later and Britannias because they are current UK legal tender denominated in pounds. A Krugerrand, a Vreneli or an American Eagle is a chargeable asset by the same logic.

One point that catches people out: pre-1837 Sovereigns are not covered. They are no longer legal tender, so they are treated as chattels instead, under the chattels rules rather than the currency exemption.

VAT and UK capital gains tax

HMRC treats a coin minted after 1800 as bullion gold if it is at least 900 thousandths fine, is or has been legal tender in its country of origin, and normally sells at no more than 180 per cent of the open market value of its gold (VAT Notice 701/21A). The Half Sovereign is 916.67 fine, UK legal tender and sold close to the gold price, so it meets all three tests.

It is also a United Kingdom coin with a face value in pounds, so it is sterling legal tender. The UK exemption from capital gains tax follows sterling legal tender, which is why Britannias and Sovereigns sit outside that tax while a Krugerrand, Maple Leaf or Philharmonic does not. This is a statement of the published rule, not tax advice — your own position depends on your circumstances.

Questions buyers ask

Will I get the shield or St George? It depends on the date. Coins up to 1892 carry the shield; from 1893 they carry St George.

How much gold does it contain? 3.6612 g of pure gold at 916.67 fineness.

Is it exempt from capital gains tax? For UK residents, yes. Victoria reigned from 1837, so these fall inside the exemption for Sovereigns minted in 1837 and later.

Are they worn? Usually. These circulated as money. Condition varies and the gold content does not.

Authenticity checked at GoldInvest24 before dispatch. Other sizes are on the Sovereign gold coins page. Live quotes on the precious metals prices page.