Significant Moments for The Sovereign

George III

The Sovereign as we know it was introduced during the reign of George III. The guinea had been the prevalent gold coin in circulation until this time, but its awkward 21-shilling value gave rise to calls for a coin with a more convenient value of 20 shillings. The Master of the Mint at the time – William Wellesley Pole – reintroduced The Sovereign and commissioned Benedetto Pistrucci to create the coin’s reverse design.

George IV

The first Sovereigns featuring the portrait of George IV were issued in 1821 after the death of his father, George III, in 1820. The first coinage portrait of George IV depicted a laureate portrait designed by Benedetto Pistrucci.

The monarch wasn’t impressed with the fuller features of Pistrucci’s neoclassical design and demanded that a new coinage portrait be created based on a more flattering portrayal from a bust of the king by Sir Francis Chantrey. The Italian engraver refused to copy the work of another artist and his coinage portrait was replaced by the work of his rival, William Wyon, who complied with the king’s wishes.

The St George and the dragon design was also altered for the 1821 Sovereign. The old French inscription was removed, the broken lance held by the saint replaced with a sword and the date was added below the design. Sadly, this beautiful reverse design was replaced in 1825.

William IV

When George IV died without a legitimate heir, the line of succession passed to his brother, William IV, with Sovereigns bearing his portrait being dated from 1830. Similar to the later Sovereigns of George IV’s reign, those struck during the reign of William IV featured a design of the Royal Arms on the reverse instead of the St George and the dragon design.

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837. The Shield design that had appeared on The Sovereign since the reign of George IV had to be altered at the start of Queen Victoria’s reign to remove the Hanoverian Arms, as the line of succession for the Kingdom of Hanover was limited to the male line.

Although the Royal Arms design had appeared on The Sovereign since the reign of George IV, Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design was reinstated in 1871. The Deputy Master of the Mint at the time, Sir Charles Fremantle, made the decision to revive Pistrucci’s famous design to improve the appearance of The Sovereign. During the reign of Queen Victoria, Sovereigns struck in the UK featured three different coinage portraits of the monarch. The first was the beautiful Young Head designed by William Wyon. This remained on the coins of Queen Victoria for nearly 50 years until the Jubilee Head by Joseph Edgar Boehm replaced it in 1887. Released during the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the design wasn’t well received at the time because of the small crown on the queen’s head. In 1893, Sir Thomas Brock’s Old Head design replaced the Jubilee Head.

Edward VII

After acceding to the throne in 1901, Sovereigns bearing Edward VII’s portrait were issued from 1902. The reverse of each Sovereign struck for the king featured Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon design.

George V

George V Sovereigns were first issued in 1911. Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design was chosen to remain on the reverse of the coin, whilst the Australian sculptor Bertram Mackennal designed his coinage portrait. Due to the impact of the First World War, in 1917, production of The Sovereign ceased at The Royal Mint’s headquarters in London.

Edward VIII

Among the rarest Sovereigns are those from Edward VIII’s reign. After acceding to the throne in January 1936, Edward VIII abdicated later that same year to marry Wallis Simpson. As a result, coins bearing his portrait never entered circulation. However, The Royal Mint did produce pattern coins in extremely limited numbers, including a 1937 Sovereign.

The obverse of this Sovereign broke with tradition too, as monarchs’ portraits ordinarily faced the opposite direction to their predecessor. It can’t be said for certain why this tradition was instigated, but it dates back to the reign of Charles II. Edward VIII was insistent that his left side was his best side, so Humphrey Paget designed his coinage portrait accordingly.

George VI

George VI Sovereigns were first issued in 1937, but only a limited number of specimen coins were struck that year to commemorate the monarch’s coronation. Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design features on the reverse of the coin, whilst a coinage portrait of the new king, also designed by Humphrey Paget, appears on the obverse of the coin.

Queen Elizabeth II

Although Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952, the first Proof Sovereign of her reign wasn’t struck until 1953. The St George and the dragon design was chosen for the reverse, whilst a laureate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Mary Gillick, appears on the obverse of the coin.

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II had five definitive coinage portraits. The Mary Gillick portrait remained on circulating coins until decimalisation in 1971 and on Maundy money until the end of her reign. Arnold Machin designed the second definitive coinage portrait of the monarch, which appeared on coins produced in 1968 ready for decimalisation and all decimal coins produced for circulation until 1984.