1848 Great Britain Gold Sovereign NGC AU-58 Ex.RMS Douro

Ex.RMS Douro Victoria gold Sovereign. NGC Census of 26 coins with 20 finer - which includes both shipwreck and non-shipwreck items. A total of 86 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 1848 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 1848 sovereign roughly 6–8 times higher than that of the most commonly traded dates.

This example’s distinction lies in its association with the RMS Douro, a Royal Mail steamship lost off the coast of Spain in 1843. Sovereigns recovered from the wreck entered the numismatic record not as routine commerce, but as artifacts preserved by chance beneath the sea. The Ex–RMS Douro pedigree connects the coin directly to a specific historical event, blending numismatics with maritime archaeology.

Graded NGC AU58, the coin shows light circulation consistent with gold that once moved through real hands before its long submersion. Its survival adds a layer of romance and authenticity, making it less a standard type example and more a tangible witness to Britain’s global trade routes and the risks that accompanied them.