Description
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign ‘rewrote history’ – and the gold sovereigns issued during her reign have rewritten history too. The design of St George slaying the dragon is SYNONYMOUS with the gold sovereign itself, and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II has seen more VARIATION in the way St George is depicted than all the monarchs before her PUT TOGETHER.
All of which means the St George coins OF HER REIGN are going to be in considerable demand for a long time to come.
This set is comprised of some of the most important St George sovereigns of her reign. Each is a St George ‘first’ from her reign:
1. The first sovereign of the reign – the classical depiction of St George – from 1957 (Grade 9)
2. The first commemorative design of St George ever on the 2005 half sovereign (Proof) and
3. The first Proof quality striking of the original design of 1817-20, on the 2017 quarter sovereign (Proof)
Coin 1 – THE 1957 GOLD SOVEREIGN the first sovereign of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, with the classical depiction of St George and the dragon (that dates from 1821)
When Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952 there were still wartime restrictions on gold ownership in place. No British gold coins were produced until the year 1957 when the first sovereign of the reign was produced, largely for the international gold market.
This sovereign of 1957 depicts the young queen on one side (she was just 25 years old when she became monarch) in a portrait by Mary Gillick.
On the reverse side is the classical depiction of St George and the dragon, created by Benedetto Pistrucci in 1821. This is the design that most people think of when you say the word ‘sovereign’ and is probably the most widely known coin design in the world.
This first coin of 1957 has edge milling (ridges along the edge) that is very close together. This different edge milling only ever featured on this one sovereign issue making it not only a first, but also a one-year type that all collectors need to own.
The coin in this set will be Grade 9 on our ten-grade quality scale.
Coin 2 – THE 2005 GOLD HALF SOVEREIGN the first commemorative sovereign design of St George and the first new depiction of St George since 1821!
Designer Timothy Noad was commissioned for a new interpretation of Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design that appeared on the 2005 sovereign. In a bold break with tradition, the Royal Mint commissioned a new depiction of the battle between St George and Dragon and this modern version was issued for one year only.
This appears to be a commemorative design, however, no event was announced as being commemorated by its issue.
Although never officially confirmed, it has been suggested that this design was struck as a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Lord Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar, also celebrated in 2005. This event would not ordinarily be accepted as the subject for a commemorative sovereign but by focusing on the motif’s depiction of ‘good over evil’ it is said this is a covert tribute to this great national anniversary.
This was the first new depiction of St George on the half sovereign since 1893!
The coin in this set is the Proof striking of the half sovereign.
Coin 3 – THE 2017 GOLD QUARTER SOVEREIGN the first striking on a quarter sovereign ever, of the first St George design (originally minted in 1817-1820, but quarter sovereigns weren’t minted at that time)
The gold sovereign coin celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2017, having been first minted in the year 1817 during the reign of King George III. The gold guinea – which the sovereign replaced – had always depicted the coat of arms and so in an effort to make the new coin distinctive St George slaying the dragon was chosen as the motif. The job of designing this was given to a talented Italian gemstone designer named Benedetto Pistrucci.
Pistrucci’s initial design, used on the sovereigns of 1817-1820 and now again on the anniversary coin of 2017, depicted St George with a broken lance, the dragon at his feet, and the motto and garter belt of the Order of the Garter around the outer edge. St George has a long association with the monarchy dating back to the fourteenth century.
The quarter sovereign was first minted in 2009, so this heritage design had never before appeared on the quarter sovereign, until this issue of 2017.
The coin in this set is the Proof striking of the quarter sovereign (this design did NOT appear on the UNC striking of 2017).
