Lord Horatio Nelson is our nation’s greatest naval leader and strategist. From 1793 until his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 he fought with vigour and imagination, often out-manoeuvring his enemies with tactics and strategies that no-one had used before. He was courageous too, leading “from the front”, resulting in the loss of an eye while defending Corsica and then the loss of an arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz in Tenerife. His decisive victories secured Britain’s dominance of the seas for more than a century, which in turn enabled the expansion of Britain’s trading empire right around the globe.

One of the greatest victories of Nelson’s career was his defeat of the Napoleon’s navy at the Battle of the Nile. This was more than just ‘a win’ though; Nelson destroyed much of the fleet pitted against him. Historians at the Royal Navy call it “the most overwhelming naval victory in the age of sail”. Although there was recognition of this victory at the time, no commemorative coins were produced.

Now, in this 225th anniversary year, this historical oversight is being corrected with the release of a series of limited edition gold sovereign coins to celebrate Britain’s greatest naval commander, Lord Nelson. Introducing the 2023 Lord Nelson Tribute Gold Sovereign Range, and in particular, the one-eighth sovereign…

Lord Nelson had a reputation not just in Britain. He was known around the world and he received, with great pride, many accolades from ‘the great and the good’. All this glory, but significantly, no commemorative coins were produced to honour Nelson’s great victories during his lifetime, or indeed in the decades after. It’s worth considering that if a victory such as Trafalgar or the Nile had been won today there would be a myriad of commemoratives marking Nelson’s achievements, so these new coins rectify this oversight from his own lifetime.

These gold sovereign coins chosen to celebrate Nelson are every bit as special as his career. In fact, the growth of the gold sovereign into a world currency, and the expansion of Britain’s trade empire that carried them around the globe, establishing them as coinage in over 30 different territories and nations, are all directly linked to Nelson’s victories and the pre-eminence it established for the Royal Navy.

At the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson’s flagship lived up to its name. Although the battle was won, Nelson was mortally wounded and his body was brought back to England on board HMS Victory, which remains today in Portsmouth harbour, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. The design of these new gold coins (one-eighth to the full sovereign) expertly reveals a side image of this magnificent old ship, with each individual coin forming part of a complete picture when arranged together in the correct position.

All coins purchased from the 2023 Lord Nelson Tribute Series will support SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, and the continuation of their welfare and wellbeing assistance to our forces and their families. 10% of all net profits will be paid in support of SSAFA.

The one-eighth sovereign features the command flag of the Vice Admiral of the White (Nelson’s rank at the Battle of Trafalgar), flying on the fore topgallant masthead, with a cameo of Nelson. You can purchase the one-eighth sovereign coin HERE, or alternatively, you can contact our sovereign experts on 0333 234 3103.