Expert: Brad Swain - 12/26/2009

Question
Hi Brad - My mother gave me an Irish Sovereign Coin that my grandmother had made into a beautiful ring.  It has a man on a horse on the front and I can't read the year.  It looks to be in mint condition and it's from a Jeweler's in Dublin.  It's still in it's original box and my mother says it's 100 years old.  Can you tell me anything about it and what it's worth?

Answer
Hi Cathi, this sounds like a British gold Sovereign coin (1 Pound) if it is 22 millimeters across or a 1/2 Sovereign if 19 millimeters across, depicting the current king or queen on one side as well as Pistrucci's rendition of St. George slaying a dragon and the date. Without knowing the date it is only worth its gold value. 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.
Current gold and silver values: http://www.kitco.com/market/ .
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
If a coin has been damaged by becoming part of the jewelry or cannot be separated from the jewelry without damage then its value lies in the piece of jewelry and not as a coin.
Brad