Description
The King and the Dragon, a new design for a new era
Gold sovereign coins have been associated with the legend of St George and the dragon for more than 200 years, and this medieval tale of chivalry continues to capture the imagination today. Many iterations of this familiar motif have appeared over time, but none so innovative as a new design by celebrated coin artist Jody Clark, who has taken a bold new approach to mark a significant milestone in the reign of King Charles III.
These world-first coins have been struck to mark the milestone of His Majesty’s first 500 days of reign, recognising our new King’s place in the long history of the British gold sovereign with an innovative take on a classic design.
Fast securing his place in numismatic design history, Jody Clark has brought his artistic flair and precision to bear on a bold re-working of the St George and dragon motif, replacing England’s patron saint with our reigning monarch. By placing the dragon and the King side-by-side in profile and giving them equal prominence, he suggests that the mythical beast can be tamed rather than having to vanquish it – an idea more in line with Charles’ modern form of kingship.
Since the era of the modern sovereign began in 1817, a number of monarchs have had commemorative coins minted, but King Charles III is the only one ever to appear alongside the infamous dragon on a gold sovereign coin.
These new gold sovereigns are an exciting tribute to the first 500 regnal days of King Charles III, which, along with their world-first design, feature the year-date 2024 in Roman numerals ‘MMXXIV’ to commemorate the 500-day milestone.
Authorised by Tristan Da Cunha and approved by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Buckingham Palace, it is a wonderful tribute – the first time that the design on commemorative gold sovereign coins has ever replaced St George with the monarch, alongside the dragon.
Benefit from the SELL OUT GUARANTEE
The 2024 King Charles and the Dragon Fractional Sovereign Set will not exceed 1,817 sets and is also subject to our new SELL OUT GUARANTEE. What this means is that availability of this set will end on 31st May 2024. At that time, any sets that are unsold will be melted down and verified to that effect.
At that point, we will issue to owners of this set a new certificate stating the final mintage which may be lower, or possibly considerably lower, than 1,817. If the mintage remains at 1,817 then this means the set sold out entirely to keen customers, and if not, you may have secured for yourself a low mintage rarity.
Either way, there will be little or no surplus of this set on the secondary market and so the set you own will be a rarity in the gold sovereign series.
