Gold sovereigns contain a mintmark to distinguish the coins produced in London to those produced in the other branches of the Royal Mint. This mintmark is simply a letter, that symbolises the city or country of origin (eg: S for Sydney branch). In this article, we explain where to find the mintmark on a gold sovereign coin.
Unsure about the the type of gold sovereign you have and its value? Send us a photo :
Mint marks appear on gold sovereign once UK’s power expanded and established the colonies. The Royal Mint opened branches overseas in the following order:
The branches closed in the following order:
The location of the mint mark depends on the type of gold sovereign.
| Young Head Shield Back | Young Head, St Georges Reverse | Jubilee Head
Old Head Edward VII Georges V |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
The mint marks letters represented the city where the coin was produced (e.g: letter M for Melbourne mint in Australia).
The only exception is for coins manufactured in Ottawa, Bombay and Pretoria, where the letter represents the country, and not the city (e.g: letter C for Ottawa mint in Canada ).
This can be easily understood, as the letter “P” was already taken by Perth, and could not be used for Pretoria.
Only gold coins produced in the London branch do not have a mint mark.
| no mint marks London mint |
|||||
| letter S Sydney mint (Australia) |
letter M Melbourne mint (Australia) |
letter P Perth mint (Australia) |
|||
| letter C Ottawa mint (Canada) |
letter SA Pretoria mint (South Africa) |
letter I Bombay mint (India) |
|||
Mint marks per sovereign
| Sovereign Type | Mint Branches | Dates of production |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Young Head Shield Reverse | London, Melbourne, Sydney | 1837 – 1887 |
| Victoria Young Head St George Reverse | London, Melbourne, Sydney | 1871 – 1887 |
| Victoria Jubilee Head | London, Melbourne, Sydney | 1887 – 1893 |
| Victoria Old Head | London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth | 1893 – 1901 |
| Edward VII | London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Ottawa | 1902 – 1910 |
| Georges V | London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Ottawa, Bombay, Pretoria | 1911 – 1932 |
