2016-11-22 Tue

The Sovereign 2017 collection was issued by the Royal Mint to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the popular coin which resurfaced in 1817.

In the early 17th Century, during the reign of James I the production of these coins was terminated. But 200 years ago, after the reform of UK coinage and the Napoleonic Wars the Sovereign was issued again, which became the new gold standards for accuracy and beauty, defined by currency. It was also known as the ‘the chief coin of the world’ during the 19th century.

The 200th anniversary in 2017 is celebrated with the depiction of Pistrucci’s original ‘garter’ design, struck with tools that were re-mastered from the original 1817 tools.

The reverse design recreates the St. George and the dragon created by Benedetto Pistrucci. The Sovereign has sometimes featured designs other than St. George sometimes, but this one has always been the most popular one!