Gold Sovereign Coins – Why the Fascination?
Ever since gold sovereign coins were first minted in the UK in 1489, during the reign of Henry VII, people have been fascinated by these coins. This article looks at the reasons for this fascination. • The Lure of Gold — This is probably the hardest of all to explain and understand, but the human race is attracted to gold rather like a magpie is attracted to shiny objects and collects them to line its nest. From ancient times gold has attracted man like a magnet; it’s always seen as a thing of value even compared to other shiny metals. One possible explanation is gold’s unusual lustre and colour. Another is gold’s softness which makes it easy to work into intricate pieces of jewellery. Gold is also weighty amongst metals which may have given it credibility as something of value. • A Safe Haven — During turbulent economic times or periods of political unrest, gold has in recent history been seen as a safe place to store wealth. There are stories of people embedding gold coins behind t