{"product_id":"1878-s-victoria-shield-full-sovereign-ngc-au58-sydney-mint","title":"1878-S Victoria Shield Full Sovereign NGC AU58 – Sydney Mint","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA genuine survivor, not a registry chaser.\u003c\/strong\u003e This 1878-S sovereign was struck at the Sydney Mint 148 years ago and has been independently certified NGC AU58 — About Uncirculated, carrying real mint lustre with only light friction on the high points consistent with brief handling before it went into a collection. A coin this age was never going to top a modern registry set, and it doesn't need to: what you're buying is honest history, guaranteed authentic, at a fair price for the grade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Sydney Mint Shield Sovereign\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sydney Mint opened in 1855 and became a full branch of the Royal Mint in 1871. That year, for the first time, the Deputy Master was given a choice of two reverse designs to strike concurrently: the familiar St George and the Dragon, or the crowned shield reverse by Jean Baptiste Merlen — a wreathed shield of the Royal Arms flanked by small rosettes, with the legend BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID:DEF. Both designs ran side by side at the Sydney and Melbourne mints through 1887. The obverse carries the Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria by William Wyon, Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint, with his initials W.W. on the truncation of the neck. The small \"S\" mint mark identifies this piece as Sydney-struck rather than London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGrade \u0026amp; Condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNGC AU58 sits just below Mint State — this coin retains strong original lustre with only the faintest trace of rub on the highest design points. It's a genuinely well-preserved example for a 19th-century branch-mint sovereign that saw real circulation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGrade\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNGC AU58\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMint\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSydney (S mint mark)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMonarch\/Portrait\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVictoria, Young Head\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReverse\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eShield (Merlen)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDiameter\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22.05mm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7.98g\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFineness\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22 carat (.9167)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGold content\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e0.2354 troy oz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMintage\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e~1.27 million sovereigns struck at Sydney in 1878 across both shield and St George reverse combined — individual mintage by reverse type was not separately recorded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTax Status\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs UK legal tender, this sovereign is \u003cstrong\u003e100% VAT-free\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eexempt from Capital Gains Tax\u003c\/strong\u003e under HMRC manual CG78308 — the exemption applies to all Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branch-mint sovereigns exactly as it does to London-struck coins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ngccoin.uk\/certlookup\/2819168-002\/58\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1878S AUSTRALIA SHIELD 1SOV\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Royal Mint","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60135355777358,"sku":"1878-s-victoria-shield-sovereign-ngc-au58-sydney-mint","price":1060.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0853\/9370\/3246\/files\/1878S-shield-sovereign-au58.webp?v=1784106341","url":"https:\/\/www.sovaracoins.com\/products\/1878-s-victoria-shield-full-sovereign-ngc-au58-sydney-mint","provider":"Sovara Coins LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}