The Sovereign everyone mistakenly thinks is a mistake

“My coin has an error. One of the sides is upside down!” If you’ve had that thought when looking at certain coins, don’t worry you’re not alone. The “upside down coin” question is one of the most common we’re asked. In almost all cases, it’s never a mistake, but the alignment style decided by the […]

The weird and wonderful coins of the Berlin World Money Fair

Every year, thousands of coin collectors and hundreds of dealers and Mints descend upon the Estrel Exhibition Centre in Berlin for the World Money Fair. It’s a pretty intense few days of one meeting after an other, being shown countless coins – some from countries I’ve never even heard of. So what caught my eye […]

The most talked about coin of all time?

One coin has dominated discussion over the last few months, probably more than any other coin I can remember. And those discussions are not just limited to coin collecting circles and online forums. This has been headline news. Now it’s here. Let me explain why I think this is such an important coin now and […]

BREXIT COIN ANNOUNCED: Brand new 50p to be released

A brand new BREXIT 50p coin is to be issued to mark Britain’s exit from the European Union. The Royal Proclamation has just been passed confirming the new coin. Although announced by the former chancellor Philip Hammond in last year’s Budget, this is the first official confirmation from The Royal Mint that the coin is […]

Can you pick the most collectable Sovereigns from this graph?

The Sovereign is without rival as the United Kingdom’s premier Gold Coin, with rich history dating back well over 500 years. It epitomises all that is British. Traded across the world during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, it became known as “The Chief Coin of the World”, whilst today’s modern Proof Sovereigns show […]

The coin 100,000 people queued for

On the morning of 19 February this year, something remarkable happened. I tried to access The Royal Mint website and was informed that I was in a queue with over 100,000 people in front of me and that I wouldn’t be able to access the website for well over an hour. It was all because […]

Why the first ever double-thickness Gold Sovereign is a guaranteed sell-out

STOP PRESS, 27 JUNE 2017: The Royal Mint confirm the Piedfort Sovereign is 100% reserved within 24 hours of release. 2017 is the Bicentenary of the “modern” Sovereign.  To celebrate, The Royal Mint has just issued the FIRST EVER double-thickness Piedfort Sovereign. It is set to become one of the most collectable Gold Sovereigns ever […]

The Royal Mint’s surprise for the 2017 Sovereign

Collectors around the world are already rushing to own what many consider to be the most important Gold Sovereign for 200 years. The reason is simple.  The Royal Mint has taken the unprecedented decision to add a one-year-only Mint Mark to the UK’s Classic Sovereign.  Why?   To celebrate the fact that 2017 marks the 200th […]

Why the Gold Sovereign will never be the same again

The Royal Mint chose the release of the 2015 Gold Sovereign to announce another piece of news that means the Gold Sovereign will never be the same again after 2015. In a move that is presumably designed to mark Her Majesty the Queen becoming the nation’s longest reigning monarch in September 2015, the Royal Mint […]