1966 was a memorable and eventful year in British history

James Callaghan the Chancellor and Master of The Royal Mint announced the planned decimalisation of British coinage, which would lead to The Royal Mint eventually moving to South Wales. Two years later it would be James Callaghan himself who would lay the foundation stone at the new site of The Mint in Llantrisant.

John Lennon commented in an interview with the press that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus now”.  Later that year The Beatles would play their very last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

The first British credit card was launched, with Barclays issuing its Barclaycard under the Visa logo. It would be the only British credit card for 6 years, until Midland Bank launched its Access card.

However, the standout memory for many came with England hosting the football World cup, culminating in the final where 96,924 people at Wembley Stadium and over 32 million TV viewers watched England defeat West Germany 4 – 2.

Soon after he was appointed England manager in 1962, Alf Ramsey made a bold prediction – England would win the next World Cup – a tournament that would be played on home soil. With a core of world-class players along with exciting youngsters, the stage was set. English teams of old had underperformed on the biggest stage of all, but this time it would be different. The epic final against West Germany is one of English sport’s greatest moments and there are few who haven’t heard BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme’s famous words, “They think it’s all over! It is now…”

For collectors of Sovereigns, dates from memorable year dates are desirable and sought after and the 1966 Sovereign is also in high demand with sports fans who desire lasting keepsakes.