2002 Gold Sovereign

Gold bullion Sovereigns are possibly the most famous of all gold coins. The coins are highly sought-after by investors and collectors. The Sovereign is often known as 'The Chief Coin of the World' owing to its international trading in the 19th and 20th centuries. The contemporary gold Sovereign has been minted in Britain since 1817, and again from 1817-1917, in 1925 and in 1957 and beyond. 

In nearly every gold bullion Sovereign, the Monarch's portrait is depicted on the coin's obverse. The first of the modern Sovereigns hosted a portrait of King George III and the 'St George and the Dragon' design by Benedetto Pistrucci, an Italian engraver who became Chief Medallist at The Royal Mint. This 2002 Sovereign coin hosts a portrait of HM The Queen, Elizabeth II. The current Monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II, is also the longest reigning of all time, overtaking her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria in 2015. 

Buy a 2002 Gold Sovereign 

This pre-owned 2002 gold bullion Sovereign is struck in 22 carat gold, weighs 7.98g and contains 7.32g of fine gold. The gold Sovereign is considered to be one of the world's oldest coins still in production and a pinnacle of minting excellence. 

The year 2002

2002 saw the Queen celebrate her Golden Jubilee. Among the celebrations, the nation watched rock band Queen's Brian May take to the roof of Buckingham Palace to perform 'God Save The Queen'. The occasion arrived after a sad year for the Royal Family with the passing of the Queen Mother aged 101. Just a month later, Elizabeth II's sister Princess Margaret also died. The momentous year also witnessed; the opening of London City Hall, the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, reality show Popstars The Rivals forming band 'Girls Aloud', Girls Aloud reaching No 1 in the charts at Christmas with 'Sound of the Underground', and 50% of the UK population gaining access to the internet. 2002 was a poignant year in history, now immortalised in coinage. 

Description of the 2002 Gold Bullion Sovereign Coin

The Obverse (front, heads) presents Queen Elizabeth II's fourth portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. Elizabeth II is captured in the Royal Diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary in 1947. Her Majesty also wore the crown at her 1953 Coronation ceremony. The Reverse (back, tails) of the 2002 gold bullion Sovereign hosts a Royal Arms design by Timothy Noad in honour of Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee. Noad's design recalls the 19th-century 'Shield Back' Sovereign coins, moving away from signature 1817 'St George and the Dragon' design by Benedetto Pistrucci. 

The coin includes the inscription, 'DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF', which translates to 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'. The inscription refers to HM Queen Elizabeth II's position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a role Her Majesty has held since her accession to the throne in 1952.

The Royal Coat of Arms

The royal arms is the official coat of arms of the Monarch of the United Kingdom, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The heraldic royal arms have featured on British coinage produced by The Royal Mint since the reign of Edward III. In 2008, the reverses of British circulating coins were updated with engravings of sections of the royal arms in a design by Matthew Dent. When united, the six coins formed the full Shield of the Royal Arms. The coin set included a full royal arms shield on the £1 coin. 

For this 2002 Sovereign, Timothy Noad drew inspiration from the heraldic reverse of the 1489 Sovereign. The historic coin featured a double Tudor rose fronted by the royal arms. The modern Shield of the Royal Arms is divided into four sections; two sets of three lions passant representing England, a red lion rampant for Scotland, and the gold harp of Ireland. Wales, being a Principality when the royal arms was created, does not feature but instead has its own separate royal arms of the Prince of Wales. The Three Lions Passant design was chosen by Richard the Lionheart, the gold harp is taken from the Irish coat of arms, and the red lion originates from the Scottish royal arms. 

The Reverse depicts the Royal Arms in a special edition of the Sovereign designed by Timothy Noad. The Obverse design of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II is the fourth portrait design, by Ian Rank-Broadley.