NOT POPULAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 34

NOT POPULAR

Sovereigns Viewed with Suspicion EASY TO LOSE The sovereign has fallen from its high estate. Once It was the proud boast of all Englishmen that the British sovereign spoke all languages. Probably that was the reason why the almost universal gift to intending travellers was a sovereign case to hang on their watch chain. But with the gold coinage, the sovereign case has gone out of fashion. Nobody uses sovereigns now and, according to several Auckland business men, very few want to. There are still a few about, but the supply is constantly decreasing, said a bank official. Back in the war days when the banks stopped issuing sovereigns, many people embarked upon the absorbing hobby of collecting them. Hard times, however, and in many instances fear of theft, have driven many of them into the banks, and when they go in they don’t come out. The banks,also collect sovereigns, and they have been the most successful of all.

Once upon a time the sovereign was the most popular thing for its size in the British Umpire. In Auckland today it is very hard to get one, and, although it is not very hard to get rid of, most people seem to prefer its equivalent in notes or silver. A number of retailers were questioned on this point by a Sun representative and most of them supported the remark of one man, who said: “Sovereigns are a nuisance; they get mixed up with the cash and it is too easy to lose them.” SAFETY FIRST “What is your reaction when a sovereign is pushed through the window?" was the question asked of a bright young person who presides at the ticket box of a Queen Street picture theatre. “I drop it on the counter,” was the ready response. “I am really not of a suspicious nature,” she added, “but nowadays one has to be careful, doesn’t one?” It was about 1916 that the banks commenced to hold sovereigns. For a while they were eagerly sought after by people intending to travel, but nowadays a British Treasury note is just about as good. The Man On The Street, who is always willing to be interviewed on these questions, said he preferred a note any time. He said that three notes wrapped round a piece of paper made a fair wad, and was far more imposing than jingling three sovereigns.