1876 Gold Sovereign St George RMS Douro Graded NGC AU 53
Obverse:
The Queen's head to the left. Hair bound with double fillet and collected up into a knot behind. The letters WW incuse at the bottom of the truncation standing for William Wyon. Legend: VICTORIA D:G:BRITANNIAR:REG:F:D
Reverse:
St George armed with a sword, slaying the dragon. The date appears below the exergue or ground line at the bottom with the small letters B.P. (Benedetto Pistrucci) to the right. These letters vary in size for different issues.
The Douro Story
The Royal Mail Steamer Douro was a popular choice among the wealthy to travel from South America to England via Portugal. It was known for hauling mail, newspapers and precious cargo. After departing from Lisbon, en route to Southampton, a collision occurred with the Spanish steamer Yrurac Bat. Both ships sunk in the early hours of 2 April 1882.
The search for the wreckage of the Douro began in 1949, though the wreck was not discovered until the 1990s, when the salvage operation began to retrieve the precious cargo once lost in the wreck, including a number of gold Sovereigns.
Reference: Marsh 88 | Mintage: 3,318,866 | Rating: Common
Edge: Milled | Die Axis: Reverse | Type: Circulated | Mint: London
Weight: 7.99g | Diameter: 22.05mm | Fineness: 22ct | Gold Content: 0.2354 troy oz
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