Hello all, well I think the title covers it. I have been pulling my hair out with the internet. I keep asking the question and all I get is gold dealers and what a 1820s sovereign is worth now.
And I thought the superhighway always came up trumps. I however, know that on this site at least two people write historical fiction but of course facts of the era have to be correct. Please help me from inflicting baldness on myself by pulling my hair out.
Thank you, Paul G
I remember when I were a lad (1820 hits it near enough to make no never mind), a sovereign would buy you four ounces of licorice snails, two ounces of butterscotch, a week in a run-down hotel on the seafront at Sandbourne, four acres with a cottage (still standing, but needing repair) just outside Christminster, a private audience with the Queen Mother, a 30% interest in a racehorse with aspirations to win at Budmouth (she DIDN'T though, did she?)... and still have enough change left over to buy you a living at Melchester.
Ha made a big mistake in hitting the 9 instead of the 8. 1820 NOT as I said 1920.
Paul
Thank you both for your answers. I have just started writing a new novel and its working title is "CORPSE AND ROBBERS".
It's about two resurrectionists in 1920. They have been very lucky in finding a corpse at nearly seven feet tall, (average size I think about five five) so a bit of a find and worth again I think about four to hundred guineas. However, guineas were removed as currency about that time so I need to know if a sovereign back then was one pound or was it more.
Jeremy are you saying that back then it was one pound, I know I must be thick?
I am going to take a look at those links as well Jonathan as I am sure the info will come in useful as the story develops.
Again many thanks.