Crown gold

Crown Gold in England

• The alloying metal in England is traditionally restricted to copper.
• Copper is used for the current British gold sovereign.
• In 1887, 1.25% silver replaced copper in the gold sovereigns to improve the effigy of Queen Victoria.
• Copper and silver have been used in varying proportions elsewhere.

Crown Gold in Circulating Coins

• Until 1834, gold circulating coins in the United States were minted in 22 kt crown gold.
• From 1834, the fineness of U.S. coin gold decreased to 0.8992 fine and in 1837 to 0.900 fine.
• The 90% gold-copper alloy continued in the U.S. until gold coins were removed from circulation in 1933.
• The South African Krugerrand, produced since 1967, uses the traditional crown gold recipe.
• The Krugerrand was originally intended for circulation as currency.

Crown Gold in Bullion Coins

• Most current gold coinage is intended as bullion and not designed for circulation.
• Gold bullion coins are commonly 24 kt, 0.999, 0.9999, or even 0.99999 fine.
• Some bullion coins, like the British sovereign, Krugerrand, and American Gold Eagles, follow the crown gold standard.

The Great Debasement (related topic)

• The Great Debasement is a related topic to crown gold.

References

• Dodd, Agnes (1911). History of Money in the British Empire & the United States.
• Discover the Sovereign. The Royal Mint.
• American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins. U.S. Mint.

Crown gold Data Sources