George III, gold sovereign

The finder of this coin asked to remain anonymous. It’s a gold sovereign of George III, which was unearthed some years since.

On the obverse, beneath the head of George III, the coin is dated 1820 with the 2 being the closed variety (see number 3785 in the Standard Catalogue). The date is early, for sovereigns were struck for the first time in 1817. These coins replaced guineas, which were struck for the last time in 1813.

Valuation

This sovereign has survived remarkably well for a coin that could have been in the soil for close to 200 years. It would grade good VF but has a few faint scratches on the obverse and an edge knock by MAL on the reverse. These faults, though slight, would have an impact on its commercial value. As it stands a likely pre-sale auction estimate would be in the region on £1,500.