Social History — 1818
Coin, sovereign
In 1816 the government began a major reform of Britain's currency in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars. The sovereign coin worth £1 (20 shillings) was introduced and the gold standard of value was formally adopted in 1821. The value of a sovereign in 1818 would be equivalent to spending approximately £41 today. The obverse of this sovereign coin features the bust of George III. On the reverse is a design of Saint George slaying the dragon by the Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci.
- Category:
- Social History
- Object ID:
- A20469
- Object name:
- coin, sovereign
- Artist/Maker:
- George III
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
Royal Mint, City of London, London [Tower Hamlets], City of London, Tower Hamlets
- Production date:
- 1818
- Material:
gold
- Measurements/duration:
- DM 25 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.