To see a further review of sovereigns click the picture or the link above
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has reigned since the death of her father King George VI in Febraury 1952.
She was born in 1926 and is the Queen of the The United Kindgom and the Commonwealth Realms.
Her Marriage to Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh took place in 1947..
They have Four Children and eight Grandchildren..
Elizabeth heard of the death of her fasther on the 6th February 1952 when she was visiting a game lodge 100 miles
nothe of Nairobi in Kenya.
Her Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on the 2nd June 1953 and this was the first televised Coronation..
Her Majesty has been a very popular Queen with the British people despite the marital problems of her Son Charles.
to Diana Princess of wales and his marriage to Camilla after the death of Diana.
In 2002 Her Majesty celebrated her Golden Jublilee and visited most of her realms after the celebrations in London..
Over 2 million people gathered outside Buckingham Palace to wish her well – against the wishes of the Prime Minister of that time .
All of Her Majesty’s UK coins are minted by The Royal Mint.
Newly minted coins are checked for size,weight and composition at the Trial of The Pyx
The Pyx is a boxwood chest in which are kept sample coins from each issue of coins.There is a real trial with a Judge and a panel
of assayers to verify the authenticity of the coinage..
This trial goes back to the 12th Century.
Most Gold Sovereigns and half sovereigns are minted as Bullion.with a face value of £1 for the sovereign coin.
From 1987 a different coin was also minted – The Brittania both in silver and in gold.
The Brittania has a face value of :
£100 – a Troy Ounce,
£50 a Half Ounce
£25 a Quarter Ounce
£10 one tenth ounce all are 22 carat with a fineness of 917
A 2008 Gold Proof Sovereign was minted by the Royal Mint.
This was followed by a 2009 Gold Proof Sovereign
A Number of half and 1/4 sovereigns have recently been issued for various commemorative events.
There are currently also on sale by the Royal Mint, 2009 proof sets,a Mini £1 gold proof coin and a
2009 Quarter Sovereign.