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General Quiz on Sovereigns - Part II
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Started by Zebo,

General Knowledge Quiz on Sovereigns (Part two of two)  

6 members have voted

  1. 1. What was the most comprehensive collection of sovereigns that has gone to auction?

    • Hemisphere
      1
    • Quartermaster
      2
    • Bentley
      1
    • Park House
      2
    • George
      1
    • none of the above
      0

  2. 2. What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Sydney sovereigns?

    • Obverse
      1
    • Reverse
      2
    • Alloy Used
      2
    • Weight
      1
    • Size
      1

  3. 3. How many sovereigns are known to have been melted by the Bank of England in 1930 and 1931? (tough one to answer - extra credit)

    • None
      0
    • 24,335,000
      0
    • 52,000,000
      1
    • 71,900,000
      3
    • 84,665,000
      1
    • 100,441,000
      1
    • none of the above
      1

  4. 4. In what year did the Royal Mint stop minting the shield reverse?

    • 1817
      1
    • 1823
      0
    • 1853
      2
    • 1874
      4
    • 1933
      0

  5. 5. In what year did the so called "Modern Sovereign" come into existence?

    • 1817
      3
    • 1823
      0
    • 1853
      1
    • 1874
      0
    • 1933
      3

13 posts in this topic

Zebo

Zebo

Posted
Posted

No looking up the answer or checking out the submitted responses in advance. This is a general knowledge quiz - advanced questions comes later.

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World Colonial

World Colonial

Posted
Posted

I only know the answer to two of the questions and with one, it's partly due to multiple choice.  Of the collections you listed, I only know of one and that's because I looked at the catalog before it was sold.  My suspicion is that most reading your poll have never heard of any of them.

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Henri Charriere

Henri Charriere

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, World Colonial said:

I only know the answer to two of the questions and with one, it's partly due to multiple choice.  Of the collections you listed, I only know of one and that's because I looked at the catalog before it was sold.  My suspicion is that most reading your poll have never heard of any of them.

You, sir, are remarkably prescient!  (In fact, the first and only time I heard the word sovereign pronounced was by Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady.")

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Zebo

Zebo

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Posted

There are ten total questions contained in the two parts of this quiz. Some a bit harder than others. After the poll runs a bit, I will post the correct answers to all of the questions. These are off the cuff questions that I came up with to help me gauge the knowledge level regarding sovereigns. It will also  help me adjust a presentation I have started, but have been sidetracked on many times. This is meant to be educational and fun at the same time. 

 Score yourself and see how you performed. The below scale is just for fun and not meant to be a real gauge of anything:

 0 correct - you are undoubtedly unfamiliar with one of the world's most influential coins.

 1-2 correct - you have a little basic understanding, but not enough to be considered dangerous

 3-4 correct - you have a bit of knowledge - a book on the sovereign will help

 5-8 correct - you know your way around and are at the intermediate level

 9-10 correct - well done, you obviously know your sovereigns and are ready for the advanced quiz

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Hoghead515

Hoghead515

Posted
Posted

Not real sure but I may have got one or two of the answers. I remember reading an article on them. The quiz sparked my memory a little bit and I remember a couple things. Most of it I can't remember. I need to reread it. Then again I may have missed them all. 

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Zebo

Zebo

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Posted (edited)

I was hoping for a bit more participation. I've decided to end the poll a bit earlier than planned to not keep some of the regulars in suspense. My next poll may be on the coinage of the Isle of Man. I cannot see who scored the best - so grade yourself. Thanks for participating - I hope you had fun.

1) What was the most comprehensive collection of sovereigns that has gone to auction?

Hemisphere, Quartermaster, Park House, Bentley, George

Correct answer: the Bentley Collection auctioned by Baldwins in three parts.

2) What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Sydney sovereigns?

Obverse, Reverse, Alloy Used, Weight, Legend

Correct answer: the Obverse. Type one (1855-1856) included a portrait of Queen Victoria that closely resembled the ones being minted in London at the time. The Type two (1857-1870) incorporated a sprig of Australia’s native flower, the banksia, in the Queen’s hair - a unique Australian portrait.

3) How many sovereigns are known to have been melted by the Bank of England in 1930 and 1931?

None, 24,335,000, 52,000,000, 71,900,000, 84,665,000, 100,441,000

Correct answer: 100,441,00. The number was originally thought to be a bit less.

4) In what year did the Royal Mint stop minting the shield reverse?

1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933

Correct answer is 1874. The Australian mints continued to issue the shield along with the St. George reverse until 1887. I do not count the commemorative issues minted in 1989 for the five hundredth anniversary of the sovereign or the 2002 special issue for the Queen's golden Jubilee.

5) In what year did the so called "Modern Sovereign" come into existence?

1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933

Correct answer is 1817.

Edited by Zebo
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Henri Charriere

Henri Charriere

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Zebo said:

I was hoping for a bit more participation. I've decided to end the poll a bit earlier than planned to not keep some of the regulars in suspense. My next poll may be on the coinage of the Isle of Man. I cannot see who scored the best - so grade yourself. Thanks for participating - I hope you had fun.

1) What was the most comprehensive collection of sovereigns that has gone to auction?

Hemisphere, Quartermaster, Park House, Bentley, George

Correct answer: the Bentley Collection auctioned by Baldwins in three parts.

2) What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Sydney sovereigns?

Obverse, Reverse, Alloy Used, Weight, Legend

Correct answer: the Obverse. Type one (1855-1856) included a portrait of Queen Victoria that closely resembled the ones being minted in London at the time. The Type two (1857-1870) incorporated a sprig of Australia’s native flower, the banksia, in the Queen’s hair - a unique Australian portrait.

3) How many sovereigns are known to have been melted by the Bank of England in 1930 and 1931?

None, 24,335,000, 52,000,000, 71,900,000, 84,665,000, 100,441,000

Correct answer: 100,441,00. The number was originally thought to be a bit less.

4) In what year did the Royal Mint stop minting the shield reverse?

1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933

Correct answer is 1874. The Australian mints continued to issue the shield along with the St. George reverse until 1887. I do not count the commemorative issues minted in 1989 for the five hundredth anniversary of the sovereign or the 2002 special issue for the Queen's golden Jubilee.

5) In what year did the so called "Modern Sovereign" come into existence?

1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933

Correct answer is 1817.

[These are British Gold Sovereigns all.  Excuse my impertinent tone and language, but I demand to see VKurtB's scores on this thus far!] 😉

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