Sovereign firsts with piedfort, five-sovereign and smooth-rimmed variants of the original design launched

In this banner 200th year for possibly the most iconic and well known coin design of the last two centuries, the Royal Mint is issuing some more special Sovereign variants to mark the occasion. No changes to the design which you can read more about in our original article on the debut wave of releases, all of which have apparently sold out, but some firsts on the format front.

Each coin uses a design based on the original Pistrucci artwork that debuted in 1817 and was only used until the revised one appeared in 1821. It’s fundamentally the same but has some subtle differences that set it apart. Bordering the design on a belt are the word “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE”, which translates as “Evil unto him who thinks evil of it”. In his hand, instead of a sword, St.George holds a broken spear. There are some other minor tweaks, but those are the main two differences.

Three new variants are now available. First is a standard brilliant uncirculated coin with a mintage of just 1,817 pieces, all to be struck on 01 July, the date in 1817 the original debuted. The difference here is the coin edge rather than any tweaks to the look. Instead of a reeded/milled edge, this one is plain, a first with this original ribboned design. Second is a brilliant uncirculated five-sovereign version. At just under 40 grams in weight it’s by far the largest of the sovereign range and the first time this design has been used on this size of sovereign. Lastly, the Royal Mint is issuing its first ever piedfort Sovereign. The same diameter as a standard coin, it’s twice as thick. This one has a mintage of 3,750 although only 3,500 will be presented in this box.

Available to pre-order now, these coins have a knack of selling fast, even at the premium prices the Royal Mint charges. The ‘Strke on the Day’ sovereign will sell for £525.00, with the five-sovereign up for £1875.00 and the piedfort for £800.00. This look back at the original coin is to be used for a single year only, so a unique opportunity to look back to the early days of one of the worlds truly iconic coins. Just click the banner at the bottom of the article to head on over to the shop and help out AgAuNEWS at the same time.