AboutBrad Swain Expertise I have been a World Coin and Paper Money collector for over 40 years. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have on World coins or currency, tokens, unusual or unknown pieces and attempt to give you estimates of value and historical information about them in a polite and prompt manner.
Experience
Experience in the area: 40 years collecting coins.
An 'expert' here since 9/8/2000.
Education/Credentials: B.A. in History; B.A. in Geography.
I'm an ordinary 8 hour a day regular job guy and do this for fun and knowledge in my free time.
Expert: Brad Swain Date: 7/3/2008 Subject: 1929 and 1930 georgivs v gold coins
Question in the front has head of a man and in the back a man on a horse with a cape and a sword killing a dragon do you know history and how much it would be worth
Answer Hi Sam, This is a 22 karat (91.7%) gold British Sovereign coin (1 Pound) if it is 22 millimeters across or a 1/2 Sovereign if 19 millimeters across, depicting King George V (1910-36) as well as Pistrucci's rendition of St. George slaying a dragon:
'One of the most widespread images of the dragon in the Western world is that of St. George slaying the dragon, symbolizing the Christian triumph of good over evil. In Benedetto Pistrucci's famous design, St. George is on horseback clutching a sword in his right hand. The horse slays the dragon by trampling it. It has been used on the reverse of British and Commonwealth crowns, sovereigns, pounds and other coins since 1817. One could base an entire collection on just this "event". Variations of the St. George and the Dragon design also are used on a number of gold and silver coins of Hungary, some dating to the late 17th century.'
There may be a mintmark letter below the horse's rear hoof indicating that it was minted and used in one of the British colonies.
A Sovereign should weigh 7.988 grams and would contain .2354 of an ounce of gold. A half sovereign would be half of the two above weights. Value is likely a little over the gold value depending on wear and demand (kitco.com).
You may find similar pieces on Ebay.com for comparison. You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad
