<P> Named after the English gold sovereign , last minted in 1604 , the name was revived with the Great Recoinage of 1816 . Minting these new sovereigns began in 1817 . By the coin act of 1816 , 12 Troy ounces of 22 - carat gold were worth 44.5 Guineas ( a Guinea being £ 1.05 ) . This meant that the 1 - pound sovereign should weigh 160 / 623 ounces ( ~ 0.257 oz or 7.98 g ) , whereas its content of pure gold was 22 / 24 of this ( ~ 0.23542 oz or ca . 7.322381 g ) . This weight has remained almost constant -- rounding at 10 g took place on its legal redefinition in the decimalised rather than fractional system of coin weights . </P>
<P> Named after the English gold sovereign , last minted in 1604 , the name was revived with the Great Recoinage of 1816 . Minting these new sovereigns began in 1817 . By the coin act of 1816 , 12 Troy ounces of 22 - carat gold were worth 44.5 Guineas ( a Guinea being £ 1.05 ) . This meant that the 1 - pound sovereign should weigh 160 / 623 ounces ( ~ 0.257 oz or 7.98 g ) , whereas its content of pure gold was 22 / 24 of this ( ~ 0.23542 oz or ca . 7.322381 g ) . This weight has remained almost constant -- rounding at 10 g took place on its legal redefinition in the decimalised rather than fractional system of coin weights . </P>
how much does a full gold sovereign weight
how much does a full gold sovereign weight
160 / 623 ounces
160 / 623 ounces