Rarely sells: 1 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern (1870)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1870 |
| Denomination | 1 Sovereign |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Sovereign |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 7.950g · 0.2343 t oz |
| Diameter | 22.1mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Young uncrowned portrait of Queen Victoria left, legend around, date below.
St George on horseback slaying the dragon right within Garter, legend around.
1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern market value
Find this on eBay
Affiliate1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern price history
Daily limit reached1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £699.18 🔒 | £699.18 (1) | – | £699.18 – £699.18 | 1 | 1 | 19-11-2025 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 1870 1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern
The 1870 1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern is a collector 1 sovereign coin in the Sovereign series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 7.95g and measures 22.05mm across. Reverse design: St George on horseback slaying the dragon right within Garter, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1870 1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern worth?
The 1870 1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £699 in VF, the median of its verified sales. Its gold content is worth about £702 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
What is the 1870 pattern sovereign?
A trial striking dated 1870, made at the Royal Mint on Tower Hill in the year before St George returned to the sovereign. The Royal Mint Museum records two 1870 pattern sovereigns, both in bronze. Regular 1870 sovereigns all have the shield reverse.
When did St George return to the sovereign?
In 1871. Wikipedia records that the Deputy Master, Charles Fremantle, restored Pistrucci's design as part of a drive to beautify the coinage, with an Order in Council dated 14 January 1871. Shield and St George sovereigns were then struck side by side in London until 1874.
Was the 1870 pattern sovereign ever legal tender?
No. It is a pattern, struck to try out a design or die rather than for issue. The sovereigns that circulated in 1870 were the Young Head shield type, of which London struck 2,189,960 according to Coin Hunter and goldsovereigns.co.uk.
How do I identify the 1870 1 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern?
Check the weight 7.95g and diameter 22.05mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
From 1838 the sovereign carried a crowned shield, and Pistrucci's St George, absent since 1825, was not used on it again until 1871. In that year the Deputy Master of the Mint, Charles Fremantle, restored the St George design as part of a drive to beautify the coinage, and the change was authorised by an Order in Council dated 14 January 1871. Shield and St George sovereigns were then struck side by side in London until 1874.
This entry is a pattern dated 1870, from the year before that change. The Royal Mint Museum holds two pattern sovereigns of 1870, both struck at Tower Hill in bronze: one of 4.15 g with a milled edge and one of 4.48 g with a plain edge, filed together under the same Royal Mint reference. Regular 1870 sovereigns all have the shield reverse; London struck 2,189,960 of them.
As catalogued, the obverse is William Wyon's Young Head of the Queen with the date below, and the reverse is St George on horseback slaying the dragon within the Garter. Wikipedia notes that Pistrucci's original 1817 design was surrounded by the Garter, which was dropped in 1821. When St George returned in 1871 the date moved from the obverse to the reverse, below the design, so a dated obverse paired with a St George reverse would sit between the two arrangements.
Collecting notes
No number struck is recorded, and the documented examples are in the Royal Mint Museum. Any piece offered as an 1870 pattern sovereign should come with a clear pedigree and catalogue reference, and its metal, weight and edge should be compared with the museum pieces. The issued design that followed is the Young Head St George sovereign.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Victoria pattern sovereign, 1870 (RMM 3768 and RMM 3769, two records), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Sovereign (British coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Coin values by year: 1870, Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Heads on British Gold Sovereigns, goldsovereigns.co.uk (Chard) (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Benedetto Pistrucci, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1870 Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield, goldsovereigns.co.uk (Chard) (read 10 Oct 2026)
More from Sovereign
