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1859 Ansell Gold Sovereign Victoria Young Head Shield - Graded Fine aVF
In 1859, a shipment of gold coin alloy was rejected by the Royal Mint on the grounds that it was too brittle for use in striking coins. However, a metallurgist employed by the Royal Mint, one George Frederick Ansell, asked to be allowed to experiment with the gold in order to improve it and make it suitable for striking into coin.
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Ansell Sovereigns
Ansell enjoyed considerable success in his efforts, and managed to make the alloy even tougher than that of a normal sovereign. Sovereigns struck from George Ansell's reworked gold alloy were apparently so tough, that they could not be broken by an ordinary man even when attacked with a pair of pliers (not that we would recommend trying to repeat this experiment with one!). George Ansell was rewarded for his work by a letter of thanks from the Mint Master and given a cash bonus of £100 (a considerable sum of money in those days).
An 'Ansell' sovereign struck from the reworked gold can be identified by an additional line which is visible in the rear hairband of the Queen's portrait, as seen in the photograph to the left.
Specification
| Metal | Gold |
| Weight / Size | Full |
| Gold Weight Troy Ounces | 0.235 |
| Fineness / Carat | 0.917 / 22 |
| Date | 1859 |
| Obverse Designer | William Wyon |
| Reverse Designer | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Issuing Monarch | Victoria (1837-1901) |
| Mint / Brand | The Royal Mint |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Terms of Sale - Key Points
You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.
Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.
Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.
All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.
If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.
Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.
View our full Terms & Conditions.
Delivery Information
We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.
Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.
- Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.
Orders under £60
- Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.
If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.
For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.
Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.
Postal Insurance
We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.
- Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
- Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.
If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.
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