1871 St George Reverse Sovereign

S-3856A, with small BP on reverse. There are two varieties of the 1871 London St George reverse sovereign. The rarer variety has large BP initials in the exergue on the reverse, while the common variety has small BP initials. The coin photographed above is the small BP variety, and although it is not a scarce coin generally, it is highly collectable in PCGS MS62 or better. The date is generally well-struck up, while Mint State examples are usually free from excessive bagging. If you’re chasing an affordable young head St George reverse sovereign for your type set, the 1871 sovereign is a good candidate.