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Details
England. 1851 Sovereign. KM 736.1. AU-53 (PCGS). Rich medium yellow gold with much bright lustre around the periphery. Choice for the grade. Perhaps the most popular international European gold trade coin worldwide, the United States included, in both hand-to-hand commerce and large-scale banking and government transactions.
The present specimen is nearly Uncirculated, indicating that it may have reached California along with thousands of the type for distribution by a banking or exchange house. Circulating at a par value of $4.85 in San Francisco during the period, sovereigns circulated at a rate slightly less than the half eagle and about a dollar greater than the French 20 francs. An interesting coin in a lovely state of preservation.
The present specimen is nearly Uncirculated, indicating that it may have reached California along with thousands of the type for distribution by a banking or exchange house. Circulating at a par value of $4.85 in San Francisco during the period, sovereigns circulated at a rate slightly less than the half eagle and about a dollar greater than the French 20 francs. An interesting coin in a lovely state of preservation.
Further details
Contemporary accounts reveal that British gold sovereigns along with $5 federal and private gold coins were favorites with travelers during the era, as they were large enough to purchase items of value, yet small enough to easily carry.