What is the weight of a gold Sovereign?

The weight of a gold Sovereign is 7.98805 grams, usually rounded to 7.98g in most cases, with a pure gold content of 7.3224 grams. The remaining weight is copper, which gives Sovereign coins their distinctive reddish hue - similar to Krugerrands.

All Sovereigns have a fineness of 916.7, meaning out of 1000 parts, that is how many are pure gold, or a purity of 91.67%. This has been the purity and weight of gold Sovereigns since 1817, when the coin was reintroduced to Britain. This percentage of gold means Sovereigns are 22 carat purity.

How much does a Sovereign weigh?

As mentioned above a full gold Sovereign should weigh 7.98 grams. There can be a few things that affect this.

With all coins there is a slight tolerance up and down that are still considered acceptable. Typically speaking with a new Sovereign this will be either be the correct weight at 7.98 grams, or sometimes slightly over. Between coin variance, and scale calibration it is not uncommon to see a Sovereign weigh between 7.98 and 8 grams.

With older Sovereigns being used as a circulating currency coin, they can over the many years of being carried around in pockets and general use, become somewhat worn down. Most dealers will of course carefully check for this and will usually reject a coin if it is too light, but you can still find Sovereigns that weight 7.9 grams and up that would still be considered acceptable.

There are also several other denominations of Sovereigns each weighing differently depending on their particular variant. The chart below shows how much these Sovereign variations should weigh:

An example of the varying sizes of Gold Sovereign. From L-R: Quarter, Half, Full, Double, Quintuple.

The standard Sovereign coins measure 22.05mm across and are 1.52mm thick. The value of a Sovereign is calculated by multiplying its gold content - 7.3224g - by the live gold spot price. Some coins can gain additional value due to traits such as limited mintage or a excellent condition. For more information call our support team on 0121 634 8060 or email us a picture of your Gold Sovereign(s) to support@bullionbypost.co.uk.

Sovereigns make an excellent long-term investment due to their ability to store a high amount of wealth in small units.

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