The 1871 Sovereign is a British gold coin, minted by the Royal Mint. The weight of the coin is 7.98 grams with a fineness of 916.7 (22 carat gold), this means it contains 7.3224 grams of pure gold. The diameter of the coin is 22 mm. The Sovereigns have a face value of 1 Pound and are legal tender in the UK.
Mintmark - S: The coin has the mintmark S, indicating it was struck by The Royal Mint in Sydney, Australia.
Obverse - The Young Head of Queen Victoria: The obverse of the Queen Victoria 1871 Gold Sovereign depicts the young head portrait, designed by William Wyon. This effigy of Queen Victoria shows her profile facing left, without a crown. It is the first official portrait of Queen Victoria to be used on coins minted by the Royal Mint.
Legend: The inscription on the coin reads 'VICTORIA D : G : BRITANNIAR : REG : F : D:'.
Reverse - St George and the Dragon: The reverse of the 1871 Gold Sovereign features Benedetto Pistrucci's design of Saint George slaying the dragon, which is one of the most enduring and celebrated coin designs in the world. Pistrucci's initials B.P. appear at the foot of the design alongside the year of issue.
The combination of the Sydney Mint origin, the Wyon Young Head obverse, and the Pistrucci reverse makes this sovereign a particularly sought-after example for collectors of Victorian gold coinage and Commonwealth numismatic history alike.