Expert: Brad Swain - 12/29/2009

Question
We found a gold coin in my mother in laws belongings.  Just curious if it has any value.  On the front it says "EDWARDVS VII D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP" around the head of a man.  on the flip side is a picture of a knight on a horse, with a sword in his right hand, and a dragon (i think) on the ground.  On the bottom it is dated 1903.  There are two small letters to the right of the date and they are b p.  There is no letter denoting the mint, such as S, P, or M.  We would appreciate any help you could give us in this matter.  Oh, and there are some nicks on the edges of the coin, so I believe it has seen some use.  Thank you kindly for any help or advice you can give us.

Answer
Hi Nancy, this is a British gold Sovereign coin (1 Pound) if it is 22 millimeters across or a 1/2 Sovereign if 19 millimeters across, depicting King Edward VII (1901-10) as well as Pistrucci's (BP) rendition of St. George slaying a dragon. There may be a mintmark letter below the horse's rear hoof indicating 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 might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad