By Levi Donohoe for CoinWeek …..
The British Royal Mint has broken convention with the release of the 2025 gold sovereign coin. 2025 will see two separate entries for the sovereign, a standard 2025 St. George and Dragon reverse in conjunction with a special design to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the first George IV Shield Reverse gold sovereign.
The Shield Reverse version of the 2025 sovereign has only been struck in a Proof finish, no bullion versions have been offered to date – with no indications given by the Mint that these will become available. All conventional sovereign denominations were sold from quarter through to quintuple, with a quick inspection of the mintages showing the half sovereign as the rarest denomination.
The Royal Mint has endured some criticism in recent years as the cadence of special single-year designs has increased from what investors were accustomed to in past decades. The feeling is that the special designs are becoming too common, causing premiums for existing single-year designs to fall. The best example of this is the 2022 Memorial Sovereign struck after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The premium for the Memorial Sovereign is now like any other standard St. George and Dragon sovereign in the British market. It appears that investors are less willing to pay higher premiums given the uncertainty of how many more unique designs will be offered to the market in coming years.
The last time the Royal Mint struck a sovereign that copied the design of a historic coin was in 2017, which marked the 200-year anniversary of the 1817 George III sovereign. Like the 2025, the 2017 was offered only as a limited-mintage Proof. These coins are among the highest premium gold sovereigns seen in recent times and usually sell quickly when offered to the market.
The 2025 Shield sovereign sold out at the Royal Mint in the same month that it was released, indicating demand for the latest special design as high. A likely explanation for some of the strong initial interest is speculation on the part of buyers who secure the special releases to resell them at a higher premium after the Royal Mint has sold out. It remains to be seen if the coins retain their premium in the secondary market.
The feeling in the British market is that the 2025 gold sovereign will be a success in this regard. The coin that it celebrates is the 1825 George IV Shield Reverse – a highly contested coin, especially in higher grades. George IV gold sovereigns are difficult to obtain and are extremely popular in the British market.
A final point on the 2025 sovereign is its significance in the gold sovereign series as the Royal Mint has confirmed that 2025 will be the final year of gold sovereigns being struck with a rose gold alloy.
The response to this in the British market has been surprisingly mixed. Some investors are critical of this decision while others have endorsed it after noting that, especially in 2022, the gold sovereign’s pink hue has become too prominent, making it look like it’s not gold at all.
The balance of evidence suggests that the 2025 gold sovereign is likely to be a fruitful investment for collectors who managed to secure one before the Royal Mint sells out. The design is inspired by a popular historic sovereign, it is the final year of production for the rose gold alloy, and the precedence that the 2017 sovereign set is also encouraging.
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