British Colonial - London: 1838-1874
Shield Sovereign - Queen Victoria

On 1852 October 16th British Gold Sovereigns and Half sovereigns were legalised for use in Ceylon by Proclamation of Queen Victoria. It was revoked by proclamation on 1869 June 18th with the introduction of Decimal curreny for Ceylon.

SPECIFICATIONS
DenominationSovereign
MetalGold 0.916
AlloyAg/Cu 0.00
Diameter21.9 mm
Thickness1.4 mm
Weight Legal7.99 gms
Weight7.92 gms
ShapeRound
EdgeMilled
Die-Axis180°
MintRoyal, London
18xx_uk_victoria_1s_au_obverse 18xx_uk_victoria_1s_au_reverse
Obverse :Young Head of Queen Victoria to left. Hair bound with double fillet and collected up into a knot behind. Above along periphery legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA . Engraver Willium Wyon put his initials W.W. in relief at the rear, below the truncation. Mint Year at bottom.
Reverse : The Ensigns Armorial within a plain shield and surmounted by a crown. A branch of laurel on either side. At bottom the Thistle, Rose and Shamrock are placed with a small flower stop each side. On left and right along periphery legend BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF: .

Note Queen Victoria Shield Sovereigns were minted with Mint mark just above the rose at the bottom of reverse.
Type Royal MintStart End Mint Mark
Type IALondon 1838 1862 None
Type IBLondon 1863 1874 None
Type ICMelbourne 1872 1887 M
Type IDSydney 1871 1887 S
Shield type Sovereigns minted in London between 1863 and 1874 has the die number at the bottom just above the rose on reverse.

YearMintageYearMintage
1852  8,053,4351861 7,624,736
185310,597,9931862 7,836,413
1854  3,589,6111863 5,921,669
1855  8,448,4821864 8,656,353
1856  4,806,1601865 1,450,238
1857  4,495,7481866 4,047,288
1858     803,2341867 None
1859  1,715,1421868 1,653,384
1860  2,555,9581869 6,441,322

Sovereigns minted before 1852 would have been legal tender in Ceylon during the years from 1852 to 1869. Those minted after 1869 would also have been legal tender after the sovereign was relegalised in 1901. Years outside the range 1852 to 1869 would have only come to Ceylon in circulation, not by importation by Government of Ceylon.

In 1851 the Ceylon Government requested the sanction of the Home authorities to a suggestion by the Chamber of Commerce, Colombo, to increase the currency of the Colony by the addition of British gold coins. The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury ruled that a local ordinance was not necessary to give currency within the Island to the gold coins of the Realm which, as being issued from Her Majesty's Mint under Her Royal authority, were a legal discharge for the sums they represented throughout Her Majesty's dominions. This ruling was, however, subsequently considered incorrect, and an Order in Council and a Proclamation, both dated October 16, 1852, were issued declaring that the coins of the United Kingdom (viz., sovereigns, half-sovereigns, &c.) shall pass current in Ceylon, but reducing the legal tender limit of British silver to 40 shillings.

Ref: The Gold Sovereign. by M. A. Marsh.
1999, Cambridge U.K., 2nd ed. 118pp. Illustr. colour

The Sovereign was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 300 dpi It was won on eBay in 1999 April.