The Royal Mint launches the full Sovereign Collection to celebrate His Majesty The King’s Coronation
A quick heads-up that today sees the debut of another special Sovereign, a long-running icon of the numismatic world. We see a few of these, as the Royal Mint often uses special variants to denote historic events, and it doesn’t get more historic in the United Kingdom than the changing of the monarch, especially after the record-breaking reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It’s fair to say that over 90% of the world’s population have known no other, given it was 1952 when she took the reins.
As a result, the obverse effigy has passed to her eldest son, King Charles III, and sculptor Martin Jennings did the honours. However, for this special coronation release, that effigy is presented in crowned form for the first time. In other regards, it’s a traditional Sovereign, employing the classic Benedetto Pistrucci image of St. George and the Dragon, not a special design.
There are five-coin (£5,725), four-coin £2,435), and three-coin (£1,140) sets, and a special historic set containing three Sovereigns, one of this design, one of the 2022 Memorial Sovereign, and one from 1958, when Charles was made Prince of Wales. That will sell for £1,895, and only 1,000 will be made available. Lastly, you can purchase the quarter, half, and full Sovereign individually, all boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. They’re available to purchase from 9am UK-time today.
PRESS RELEASE
The Royal Mint, official maker of UK coins, has today launched the full 2023 Sovereign commemorative collection following His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation. The Coronation Sovereign will be the only 2023 dated commemorative Sovereign available this year that will feature the official crowned coinage portrait of King Charles III. To mark this historic moment in British history, the reverse of the Sovereign, will depict its famous and globally recognisable depiction of St George and the dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci. Whilst the obverse will feature the first crowned coin portrait of His Majesty as a special nod to The King’s coronation.
The official crowned effigy of His Majesty The King has been designed by artist and sculptor Martin Jennings – the first crowned effigy of His Majesty to feature on a coin. The crowned portrait of King Charles III has already appeared on the Coronation Coin range which launched before His Majesty’s coronation and is reserved for significant royal events such as coronations or jubilees.
In 1489, Henry VII ordered a ‘new money of gold’ that would serve to symbolise the might of the Tudor dynasty. That large gold coin was The Sovereign, and it has since evolved to become one of the world’s most distinctive and recognisable coins. More than 500 years since its inception, the ‘chief coin of the world’ still shares a close relationship with the Crown and has become a flagship coin for The Royal Mint.
SPECIFICATION | ||||||
COMPOSITION | 0.9167 gold | 0.9167 gold | 0.9167 gold | 0.9167 gold | 0.9167 gold | |
WEIGHT (grams) | 1.997 g | 3.99 g | 7.98 g | 15.976 g | 39.94 g | |
DIMENSIONS | 13.5 mm | 19.3 mm | 22.05 mm | 28.04 mm | 36.02 mm | |
FINISH | Proof | Proof | Proof | Proof | B/UNC | |
SET MINTAGE | 5-coin (1,050) 4-coin (575) 3-coin (1,250) | |||||
SOLO LEP MINTAGE | 1,750 | 2,500 | 15,000 | – | – | |
IN SETS ? | 3, 4, 5 | 3, 4, 5 | 3, 4, 5 | 4, 5 | 5 |
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