Sovereigns were discontinued after 1604, being replaced by unitess, and later by laurelss, and then guineas. Production of sovereigns restarted in 1817, their reverse design being a portrayal of Saint George killing a dragon, engraved by Benedetto Pistrucci. This same design is still in use on British gold sovereigns, although different reverse designs have been used during the reigns of William IV, Victoria, George IV and Elizabeth II.
They were produced in large quantities until World War I, at which time the UK came off the Gold Standard. From then until 1932, soverigns were produced only at branch mints at Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Bombay and Pretoria (except for some in 1925 produced in London). The last regular issue was in 1932 (at Pretoria). Production resumed in 1957, and they were produced most years as bullion until 1982. From there to 1999, proof only versions were produced, but since 2000, bullion sovereigns have been minted.
In summary, sovereigns were produced as follows:
London : 1817 - 1917, 1925, 1957 onwards
Melbourne : 1871 - 1931
Sydney : 1871 - 1926
Perth : 1899 - 1931
Bombay : 1918 only
Ottawa : 1908 - 1919
Pretoria : 1923 - 1932
For a list of sovereign mintages since 1887, see the link below.
Half sovereigns, double sovereigns, and five pound (quintuple sovereigns?) coins were also produced.
External Link