2022 Gold Brilliant Uncirculated Five Pound Quintuple Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II Memorial King Charles III Coin

Brilliant uncirculated 22-carat gold Five Sovereign from The Royal Mint from a limited edition of 1,000. 

Obverse

New coin portrait of King Charles III, facing left without crown, by British sculptor Martin Jennings. Legend around reads:  'CHARLES II · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF ·'.

Reverse

Detailed royal arms design with heraldic creatures - English lion and Scottish unicorn - either side. 'DIEU ET MON DROIT' to scroll below with date '2022'. Artist: Jody Clark.

Specification

39.94 gram brilliant uncirculated (BU) 22-carat (916.7) gold coin. Actual gold weight: 36.61 grams / 1.7700 troy ounces. Diameter: 36.02 millimetres. Edge: milled.

Presentation

From a limited edition presentation of just 1,000 coins. Offered in original premium display box from The Royal Mint, coin inside capsule. Numbered certificate of authenticity enclosed. 

The 2022 Memorial Sovereign Range

Sovereigns have often been issued to mark royal milestones, included in proof sets to celebrate the coronation of new monarchs.

During Queen Elizabeth II's long reign The Royal Mint offered a range of special designs in anniversary years, replacing the iconic image of Saint George by Benedetto Pistrucci with new engravings by eminent British artists. The most recent of these one-year-only designs was commissioned for the 2022 Platinum Jubilee, paying tribute to Her Majesty's remarkably seventy years on the throne.

Ordinarily, we'd only expect to see one issue of Sovereigns in a given year but with the passing of Elizabeth II and the accession of her son, King Charles III, in September, The Royal Mint has authorised an exceptional Memorial Sovereign to commemorate this historic moment

This poignant range is characterised by two remarkable new designs and is available in a range of sets, denominations and finishes.

New Royal Portrait Of King Charles III

2022 Memorial Sovereigns are the first of these gold coins to feature a portrait of King Charles.

The new coinage portrait of the King was unveiled just weeks after he acceded to the throne. It's the work of British sculptor Martin Jennings who studied photographs of Charles before modelling his profile in plaster. Jennings' effigy shows Charles facing left, the opposite direction to his mother who looks right on her coins. The tradition for British monarchs to face a different direction to their predecessors dates back to the seventeenth century.

While Queen Elizabeth II was shown wearing a crown in four of her five definitive coinage portraits, Jennings' portrait of King Charles sports no glittering headgear or other symbols of his royal status. In this way the new coin portrait is similar to those of other male members of the House of Windsor. George V and George VI were both shown crownless on their money. 

The 'legend around the portrait reads: 'CHARLES II · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF ·'.

Read more: First UK Coins With Charles III Portrait.

Royal Arms Reverse By Jody Clark

The reverse of 2022 Charles III Sovereigns shows the royal arms: a potent heraldic symbol, used both by the royal family and the British government. The arms speak to national history and identity and include symbolic representations of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They've also been a perennial presence on British coinage down the centuries with the royal arms currently used on all seven of the UK's circulating coins.

The interpretation of the royal arms seen on Memorial Sovereigns is the work of Jody Clark, best known for his fifth and final definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Clark's arms are dense with detail, surrounding the shield and supporters with flourishes and national flower emblems. His lion and unicorn are rendered with the realism that characterised the designs his Queen's Beasts series.

The date - 2022 - features on a scroll, below the words 'DIEU ET MON DROIT'.

This design shares a theme with the special reverse commissioned for 2022 Platinum Jubilee Sovereigns. Timothy Noad's design is a clean-lined interpretation of the royal arms. Clark's work is stylistically different but presents a point of continuity in this time of royal transition.

Capital Gains Tax And VAT Free

Gold Sovereigns, including those in the 2022 Memorial range are UK legal tender currency. You would not want to spend them in shops but this official monetary status means that these coins and other investment and commemorative pieces from The Royal Mint are Capital Gains Tax exempt. When you come to sell these coins you don’t have to worry about the CGT tax-free allowance: you can keep all of your profit, regardless of how much you make.

These 2022 coins are also Value Added Tax free as investment gold. VAT usually adds 20% to the sale price of a product but we can offer these 22-carat gold coins without VAT to non-VAT registered private individuals. You don’t get this benefit on comparable silver or platinum investment products

Investing In 2022 Memorial Sovereigns

Gold Sovereigns with special reverse designs always attract particular interest from collectors. As these limited edition Memorial coins are also the first to feature King Charles III they have an additional appeal, sure to make them sought after in years to come.

We're offering a range of 2022 Memorial Sovereigns and sets in very limited numbers:

• 2022 Memorial Bullion Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Proof Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Proof Half Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Bullion Half Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Bullion Quarter Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial BU Five Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Piedfort Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial Bullion Double Sovereign
• 2022 Memorial 5 Sovereign Set
• 2022 Memorial 4 Sovereign Set
• 2022 Memorial 3 Sovereign Set
• 2022 Memorial Sovereign 25 Pack

You may also be interested in our collection of 2022 Jubilee Sovereigns, featuring a one-off reverse and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. You can also register your interest in 2023 Sovereigns via our product tracking system: hit the link for more information.