1937 Gold Sovereign Proof

The first (and only) Gold Sovereign of King George VI was only available in Proof. It is much sought after and therefore commands quite a high price.

Although no other gold solvereigns bear the name of George VI, sovereigns were minted in 1949 (138,000), 1950 (318,000) and 1951 (430,000) but they were restrikes using the 1925 George V dies. Some say you can tell the difference as the restrikes have a more pronounced rim.

As most of the pre-war sovereigns were melted into gold bars for the war effort, if you have a 1925 sovereign it is more likely to be a restrike even though the mintages were much lower.