Compare Gold Full Sovereign Prices

The most-traded British gold coin

The Full Sovereign accounts for the substantial majority of UK Sovereign trading volume. Premium per gram is tighter than on Halves or Quarters, the £1 face value confers full CGT exemption, and dealer buyback spreads are at their narrowest. UK investors building Sovereign positions typically anchor on Fulls and use Halves only where divisibility specifically matters.

Specifications

The Full Sovereign weighs 7.98g overall, contains 7.32g of pure gold (22-carat, 916.7 fine), measures 22.05mm in diameter, and is 1.52mm thick. The face value is £1 — nominal rather than economically meaningful at gold prices, but it's that face value that secures legal-tender status and the resulting CGT exemption. The remaining mass is copper, alloyed for durability and not priced in.

Comparing Full Sovereigns against 1/4oz gold

At 7.32g of pure gold, the Full Sovereign is very close in metal content to a 1/4oz coin (7.78g). The metallurgical comparison: 22-carat alloy versus typically 9999 fine; £1 face value versus typically £25 (on a Britannia) or none (on a 1/4oz bar). The tax comparison is more meaningful: only UK legal tender coins — Sovereigns and Britannias — qualify for CGT exemption for UK residents. Foreign 1/4oz gold is VAT-exempt but not CGT-exempt.

Tax efficiency

Full Sovereigns are VAT-exempt as investment gold under HMRC's specific Sovereign provision (which covers gold Sovereigns at any year of issue) and CGT-exempt as UK legal tender. The combined exemption applies to current production, to historical bullion-grade Sovereigns from 1957 onwards, and to pre-1932 circulation Sovereigns from Victoria onwards.

Browse related

See all Full Sovereigns, Royal Mint Full Sovereigns, or CGT-exempt Full Sovereigns.