The Gold South African Sovereign coin was struck in the same period as other gold sovereigns of South Africa after the Boer War ended. The first coin was minted in 1923 and continued being minted every year until 1932. The mintages varied by year with the least being 406 in 1923 and the highest being the 1928 version at 18,235,057. This coin was made in consistency with the British Pound Sterling and had equal value.
The Gold South African Sovereign coin weighs 7.9881 grams in total. Its actual gold weight sums up to 0.2355 t/oz with a gold purity of 91.67 percent like the Gold South African half Sovereign. A twelfth of the alloy is made up of copper. The coin is 22.05 millimeters wide and has a thickness of 1.52 millimeters. This demonetized coin has medal alignment and is made up of 22-carat gold.
The obverse bears the effigy of King George V’s bear head facing to the left and tilted upwards slightly. The Latin inscription, “GEORGIVS V D.G.BRITT:OMN:REX F.D.IND:IMP:” translating to, “George V, by the Grace of God King of all Britain, defender of the faith, Emperor of India” appears clockwise from the bottom-left to the bottom-right corners around the effigy. The reverse predominantly features the depiction of St. George riding on a horse facing to the right and slaying a dragon. The depiction of St. George is credited to Benedetto Pistrucci. Right on the ground where the dragon appears felled and below the right hind hoof of the horse is the text, “SA” for South Africa while the year is below the depiction of the earth upon which the dragon is fallen.
The Gold South African Sovereign was struck by the South African Mint’s Pretoria branch. The Pretoria branch of the Mint was the establishment of President Paul Kruger in 1890. The Mint would not open until July 6 1892 and was shut down upon the annexation of South Africa by the British. Although demonetized, the Gold South African Sovereign is legal tender. Therefore, collectors and investors who trade in the coin pay no sales tax or VAT.
