1817 Great Britain Gold Sovereign NGC AU-50 Ex.SB Pulaski

1817 Great Britain Gold Sovereign (George III Laureate Head), – S-3785 First Year of Issue for the Modern Sovereign Series.

A historic and highly desirable example of the inaugural modern British gold sovereign, struck in 1817 at the Royal Mint during the Great Recoinage under King George III. This coin features Benedetto Pistrucci's iconic laureate head of George III on the obverse and his masterful depiction of St. George slaying the dragon on the reverse. It is the foundational issue of the sovereign series that continues to this day.

Provenance: Recovered from the wreck of the Steamship Pulaski, which sank on the night of June 14, 1838, approximately 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina after a catastrophic boiler explosion. The luxury passenger steamer was carrying prominent members of Southern society along with their valuables. Coins from the Pulaski represent passenger and crew "pocket change" rather than bulk cargo, giving each piece a direct, personal connection to those aboard the ill-fated voyage. This 1817 sovereign was among the foreign gold coins — legal tender in the United States at the time — salvaged by Blue Water Ventures International and Endurance Exploration Group from passenger trunks on the seafloor. It has been professionally conserved and certified with Pulaski shipwreck pedigree.

This coin is a tangible link to both the birth of the modern British sovereign and a tragic chapter in American maritime history. Ideal for collectors of shipwreck treasures, British gold, or first-year type coins.