Half sovereign value
A half sovereign holds exactly half the gold of a full sovereign, so you do not need scales: choose how many you have and see what that gold is worth today. It weighs 3.99402 g under the law on coins and is eleven twelfths gold, so it contains 3.661 g of pure gold. This calculator multiplies that by the spot price of gold in pounds read from gold-api.com and shows when the price was set, so you get the melt value without weighing anything. Because the coin is small, the costs of making and selling it weigh more heavily, and dealers tend to charge a larger percentage premium for halves than for full sovereigns; typing a dealer’s price shows that premium. Half sovereigns are UK legal tender, so a gain on them is outside Capital Gains Tax. The quarter sovereign, a modern Royal Mint coin with 0.059 oz of gold, is in the list as well. Gold by Carat is an independent site, not a gold buyer or a dealer.
Example: value of the gold in 1 × Half sovereign
£364.73
3.661 g of pure gold per coin, £364.73 each
| Weight of one coin (set by law) | 3.99 g |
| Gold in 1,000 parts | 916 (eleven twelfths, the same gold as 22ct) |
| Tax when you sell | British coin: no Capital Gains Tax |
Figures and rules checked by the site’s publisher, Radif Partners · How the values are worked out · Editorial policy
Half sovereigns by the number
| Coins | Fine gold | Melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × half sovereign | 3.661 g | £364.73 |
| 2 × half sovereign | 7.322 g | £729.47 |
| 5 × half sovereign | 18.306 g | £1,824 |
| 10 × half sovereign | 36.612 g | £3,647 |
| 20 × half sovereign | 73.223 g | £7,295 |
More detail below: tap a heading to open it.
Legal weight and fineness
The Coinage Act 1971, Schedule 1 lists the half sovereign at a standard weight of 3.99402 g and eleven twelfths fine. That gives 3.661 g of fine gold, which is how much gold the coin contains if it is at full weight. Older halves that have circulated may be slightly lighter; dealers trading bullion halves rarely adjust for that unless the wear is obvious.
The Royal Mint’s quarter sovereign contains 0.059 oz. Choose it in the list to value it.
Premium on small coins
Every coin costs roughly the same to strike, pack, insure and sell, whatever its size. On a half sovereign those costs are spread over half as much gold, so the percentage premium is higher. Over the time you hold the coin, that premium is part of what the gold price has to rise to cover. Small coins are easier to sell in small amounts, which some buyers value; others prefer full sovereigns or one-ounce coins for the lower premium.
Tax
As sterling legal tender, half sovereigns are excluded from Capital Gains Tax by the tax law, and they are investment gold for VAT under Notice 701/21. The full sovereign page gives the rest of the family, and the VAT page runs the investment gold test.