2017 Gold Sovereign

Gold Sovereigns are maybe the most famous of all gold coins and much sought after by both coin collectors and bullion investors. Sovereigns have a long history, but the modern gold Sovereign has been minted since 1817 and then in Britain 1817-1917, 1925 and 1957 onwards. 

The gold Sovereign has a five-century long association with national pride, prestige and exceptional minting quality. The Monarch's head is almost always depicted on the Obverse of the sovereign and the 2017 gold bullion Sovereign coin hosts a portrait of Elizabeth II. HM Queen Elizabeth II is the current and longest reigning monarch ever. Born on 21 April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was on 2 June 1953.

The first of the modern Sovereign coins carried the head 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 2017 gold Sovereign marks the 200th Anniversary of this Pistrucci design, first struck in 1817, during the reign of King George IV. To honour the occasion, this 2017 Sovereign includes a '200' privy mark on the Reverse, acknowledging its bicentenary.

Buy a 2017 Gold Sovereign 

This pre-owned 2017 gold bullion Sovereign coin 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 2017

2017 witnessed significant change including; Robert Mugabe's forced resignation as the President of Zimbabwe, where he had ruled for over thirty seven years, Emmanuel Macron became France's youngest President, and Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman easing the country's conservative restrictions. Over in Hollywood, an embarrassing Oscars mix-up saw 'La La Land' wrongly given the Academy Award for Best Picture instead of 'Moonlight'. Meanwhile, in the UK; all eyes were on the trigger of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the Brexit proceedings to leave the European Union (EU) and Prince Harry proposed to actress Meghan Markle. The year 2017 was a poignant year in history, now immortalised in coinage. 

Description of the 2017 Gold Bullion Sovereign Coin

The Obverse (front, heads) presents Queen Elizabeth II's 5th portrait by Jody Clark. Her Majesty is posed in the Royal Diamond crown, which she wore for her coronation, and this design has been used on gold Sovereigns since 2015. Jody Clark was the first Royal Mint employee for over 100 years to design a coinage portrait of a Monarch. Clark was also the youngest (at 33) to do so.

The Reverse (back, tails) of the 2017 gold bullion Sovereign coin is that of the classical portrayal of 'St George slaying the Dragon', designed by Benedetto Pistrucci. St George, the Patron Saint of England, is on horseback, sword in hand. On the floor to the left is a broken spear from a previous offensive. Pistrucci's depiction dates back to 1817. He designed and engraved the artwork himself and was paid 100 guineas for his services. This is equivalent to about £8,000 today - it sounds like The Royal Mint got a bit of a bargain there! In honour of the 200th anniversary of Pistrucci's design, the 2017 Sovereign includes a privy mark acknowledging the bicentenary. 

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 2017 gold Sovereign Bullion Coin may be supplied in an acrylic capsule.

Striking a Chord

In 2017, an upright piano, which has been donated to a community college in Shropshire, was found to contain a collection of 633 gold Sovereigns and 280 half Sovereigns. The coins dated from 1847 to 1915, and were discovered by a technican while tuning the piano. The coins were 'stitched into seven cloth packets and a leather drawstring purse' under the keyboard. As of writing, no owner or claimants have ever been found.

St George and the Dragon

The ancient legend of 'St George and the dragon' dates back to the reign of William of Malmesbury, during the third century, where inspiration for the story was drawn from a Roman soldier who refused to give up his Christian faith. There are many fabled stories associated with St George, the majority of which honour him as a brave hero with English ideals and a symbol of Christianity. The most well-known tale sees St George as a heroic rescuer on horseback sent to rescue a young maiden or princess sacrificed to a dragon, which he slays to save her life. It is widely believed that the dragon was slain at Uffington's Dragon Hill, a Bronze-age site just 20 miles from our premises. Since 1222, St George has been celebrated on the 23rd April every year in England, the country of which the legend is the patron saint. This is despite St George being unlikely to have ever been deemed of English descent. Mythical St George is also the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to Saint Mark). 

The Reverse depicts patron saint of England, St George, in the classic design by Benedetto Pistrucci, on the 200th anniversary of its creation. The Obverse design of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II is the fifth portrait design, by Jody Clark.