South Africa 1927 Sovereign
Photos: Numismatic Guaranty Company
Counterfeit Detection

South Africa 1927 Sovereign

Published February 1, 2026 | Read time 2 min read

By Numismatic Guaranty Company

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In 1817 the United Kingdom started striking modern sovereigns, with production eventually expanding to Australia, Canada, India, and South Africa. The Pretoria Mint struck sovereigns with the “SA” mintmark (located in the ground above the date) for a decade starting in 1923. The rarest South Africa sovereigns are those from the inaugural year and 1924.

With a mintage of more than 16 million, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the South Africa 1927 sovereign. Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) has certified more than 900 examples of the 1927 issues, and a substantial premium only appears among the highest grades. NGC recently received a purported example of this issue.

Genuine South Africa 1927 sovereign.
Counterfeit South Africa 1927 sovereign. (Photos: Numismatic Guaranty Company)

Instantly noticeable is a large gouge running across the back of King George V’s head and emerging into the field to the right. This could be an attempt to determine whether the coin was actually struck in gold or was instead plated. While the coin is in fact made of gold, that does not mean it is an authentic example.

Beyond the gouge, an initial look at this coin shows that the color is off, and weakness in the strike and design is also evident. On the reverse, note the loss of detail in the high points of the horse, which correspond to the deepest recesses of the die.

A closer examination of the date and the designer’s initials (B.P. for Benedetto Pistrucci) next to it show that they are too bulbous, which is easy to see when compared to a genuine example. The top of the obverse also has some prominent toolmarks, which is unexpected with a genuine example.

The date and the designer’s initials appear bulbous on the fake (right), and toolmarks are evident on the obverse around the top of the inscription (below).

Those who undertake the ambitious goal of collecting sovereigns want to know their coins are genuine. Remember, NGC backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the NGC Guarantee.

Did you know? NGC has created a comprehensive Counterfeit Detection resource to help collectors and dealers identify counterfeit and altered coins. Explore it at
ngccoin.com/counterfeit.

A version of this article appears in the March 2026 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).