1849 Great Britain Gold Sovereign NGC AU-55 Repunched 4, Ex.RMS Douro

Ex.RMS Douro Victoria gold Sovereign. NGC Census of 30 coins with 35 finer - which includes both shipwreck and non-shipwreck items. A total of 95 have been graded and encapsulated by NGC. In his acclaimed reference work The Gold Sovereign (2017 edition), Michael A. Marsh listed a market value of $2,000 for the 1849 issue. By comparison, spot gold in 2017 ranged from a low of $1,150 to a high of $1,349 per ounce, putting the bullion value of a common-date sovereign at approximately $270–$317. This made the published price for the rarer 1849 sovereign roughly 6–8 times higher than that of the most commonly traded dates.

The repunched “4” in the date adds a layer of mint-floor humanity rarely noticed in standard sovereigns. This subtle correction speaks to haste and precision colliding at the Royal Mint, where working dies were tools, not relics. Such a feature rewards close inspection and distinguishes the coin from its more mechanically perfect counterparts.

Most compelling is its provenance: ex-RMS Douro. Lost at sea in 1843 and recovered generations later, the ship’s cargo connects this sovereign to global trade, maritime risk, and Victorian ambition. Few sovereigns can claim a past shaped by ocean depths, making this piece an artifact of both empire and endurance.