Mexican Gold 2½ Peso — Quarter Hidalgo
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
Mexico • 90% gold alloy
Issue years: 1918–1920, 1944–1948
Fine gold: 0.060280 troy oz
United Kingdom • 1 sovereign (one pound)
British Gold Sovereign — 1959 Elizabeth II
This 1959 full British sovereign is a 22-carat gold coin with Elizabeth II’s Mary Gillick portrait and St George and the dragon. The calculator uses the Royal Mint’s standard rounded full-sovereign fine content of 0.2354 troy oz. A half sovereign is a different denomination and must not be counted as a full sovereign.
American Numismatic Society — CC BY 4.0. Resized WebP; coin surface unchanged. · Image source · CC BY 4.0
American Numismatic Society — CC BY 4.0. Resized WebP; coin surface unchanged. · Image source · CC BY 4.0
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Verified coin specifications
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Face denomination
- 1 sovereign (one pound)
- Composition
- 22-carat gold alloy
- Gross weight (grams)
- 7.98
- Fineness
- 0.916666666667
- Fine-metal weight (troy oz)
- 0.2354
- Diameter (mm)
- 22.05
- Edge
- Reeded
- Mint
- Royal Mint, London
- Mint mark
- None on the representative 1959 coin
- Fractional size
- Historic denomination under 1 troy oz
- Issue years
- 1959
This profile covers the stated dated issue. Other dates or composition standards require their matching profile.
- Source precision
- Royal Mint 1959 page rounds gross weight to 7.98 g. Fineness represents 22/24 to 12 decimal places. Standard sovereign fine content .2354 troy oz is an official rounded reference, not an exact assay.
Calculate this coin’s metal content
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
Obverse: identify the front
Elizabeth II faces right in the uncrowned young-head portrait by Mary Gillick. The royal legend surrounds the portrait. Compare the portrait, wording and diameter together; later portraits and privately made copies need separate identification.
Reverse: identify the back
Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design fills the reverse, with 1959 below. The illustrated museum coin is an ordinary full sovereign, not the pattern sovereign excluded during research. Record any mint mark rather than assuming every sovereign was struck in London.
History and purpose
The Royal Mint’s 1959 reference places this issue two years after London sovereign production resumed in 1957. That context helps distinguish the coin from much earlier sovereign portraits and later bullion issues. The profile remains limited to the photographed, sourced 1959 issue.
How to identify this variant
Match the Gillick portrait, St George reverse, 1959 date and full-sovereign size. The Mint lists 22.05 mm diameter and a rounded 7.98 g gross weight. Neither a gold-colored round with similar artwork nor a smaller half sovereign belongs under this record.
Understanding its metal content
Twenty-two carats means 22 parts gold out of 24, not pure gold. The stored fineness represents that ratio, while the calculator prefers the official rounded 0.2354 troy-oz standard. Multiplying a rounded 7.98 g mass by a rounded fineness would produce a slightly different result; the source precision is disclosed rather than silently mixed.
Dates, varieties and composition changes
This profile is for 1959. Other sovereign years may share nominal metal content but have different portraits, reverse designs, mint marks or collector significance. Those identities need their own researched images and date coverage before inclusion. A photographed issue date is not a guarantee of condition or provenance.
Melt value versus collector value
A sovereign’s gold content does not determine its grade, historical interest or collectible premium. Keep dates, mint marks and original holders available for evaluation. A calculated gold weight is an educational reference, not a promise that a buyer pays a particular percentage of spot.
Authenticity and condition
Compare both designs, diameter, nominal mass and edge. A matching size or attractive portrait alone cannot authenticate gold. Preserve the coin and avoid destructive tests. If details or measurements conflict, seek professional evaluation before relying on the nominal fine-weight calculation.
Selling this coin
Identify the piece as a full 1959 Elizabeth II sovereign and include front and back photographs. Separate half sovereigns, other denominations and uncertain copies. The photo appraisal route can carry this verified profile reference without submitting an offer or altering the existing sales process.
Sources and calculation methodology
The 1959 Royal Mint page supports identity, alloy, rounded gross mass, diameter and artists. A second Royal Mint standard-sovereign reference supplies the rounded .2354 troy-oz fine-weight basis. American Numismatic Society photographs are used under CC BY 4.0; coin-design public-domain status is separate from photo licensing.
Common questions
How much fine gold does this sovereign calculation use?
It uses the Royal Mint’s rounded standard fine-content reference of 0.2354 troy oz. It does not derive a replacement from the separately rounded 7.98 g gross weight.
Which sovereign design does this profile cover?
The reviewed example is the 1959 Elizabeth II sovereign with the Gillick portrait and St George and the dragon reverse. Other sovereign portraits, sizes and issues need matching identification.
Does this calculator show a current gold price?
No approved live feed is configured. Verified metal weight remains available; dollar melt value is unavailable rather than shown as zero.
References
- Royal Mint: 1959 Elizabeth II sovereign — identity; weight 7.98 g rounded; fineness 22 carat; diameter 22.05 mm; dates 1959; design Gillick portrait and Pistrucci reverse; London (checked 2026-10-09)
- Royal Mint: standard full-sovereign fine-metal specification — weight basis: standard sovereign official fine gold .2354 troy oz; cross-reference standard, not a 1959 photo (checked 2026-10-09)
Issue-year references
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-09. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
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