2016-12-17 Sat

Modern sovereign was introduced in 1817 but its history dates back to the times of Henry VII and 1489. The gold sovereign during this time was used to give out a message about the strength of the monarchy.

Britain’s gold sovereign coins featuring St. George slaying the Dragon were extremely popular. They do not feature details about the country or the denomination and were purchased for investment purposes. The coins also reflect the supreme power of the monarchy. The Royal Mint would be celebrating the modern sovereign’s 200th anniversary in 2017 with the issue of a new coin.

A sovereign coin issued for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian in 1487 features the king against a simpler background than that of the Dutch coin. The reverse features a beautiful crown and a bigger shield as compared to the rose.

20 shillings sovereign of Henry VII was also used to portray the splendour of the monarchy. These coins were then debased for cutting costs and meeting the economic needs of the kingdom.

The final medieval type sovereign coin was issued in 1662 after it was replaced by the gold guinea worth 21 shillings.