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2025 Sovereigns
The 2025 Sovereign collection is groundbreaking, offering two distinct reverse designs and the first-ever official silver Sovereign. It's also the last of its kind, with The Royal Mint confirming that future releases will be struck in 22-carat yellow-gold rather than the rose gold used in recent years.
Here is a complete guide to the 2025 Sovereign range with information on mintages, designs and release dates.
Coins In The 2025 Sovereign Family
The 2025 Sovereign family offers a range of buying options for collectors and investors from large low mintage sets to the affordable 2025 silver Sovereign.
The 2025 Sovereign range includes the following coins and sets with some standard releases and others unique to this collection.
- 2025 Sovereign
- 2025 Proof Sovereign Shield
- 2025 Proof Sovereign St George
- 2025 Silver Sovereign
- 2025 Silver Sovereign Privy Mark
- 2025 Piedfort Sovereign
- 2025 Proof Half Sovereign
- 2025 BU Five Sovereign
- 2025 Three Sovereign Set
- 2025 Four Sovereign Set
- 2025 Five Sovereign Set
The Royal Mint is also offering historic Sovereign sets, pairing the old with the new.
2025 Shield Back Gold Sovereign
Most proof Sovereigns in the 2025 Sovereign range feature a classic shield design created for 1825 George IV Sovereigns. 200 years on, this attractive design has been remastered and adapted for modern collectable coins.
It's the work of Royal Mint engraver Jean Baptiste Merlen (1769–1850). Merlen was a contemporary of William Wyon and Benedetto Pistrucci, whose designs are reproduced in the sought-after Great Engravers collection.
The shield of arms that Merlen created for the 1825 Sovereign shows the royal arms of George VI with decorative detail around the edge and a crown above. This is different to the shield design by Merlen that appears on early Victorian Sovereigns and which inspired the coveted 2002 Sovereign.
2025 Sovereigns with the shield-back design feature a special legend which reads 'ARMA GEORGII IV BRITANNIARUM REGIS'. This translates from the Latin as 'The Arms of George IV, King of Britain'.
Read more: Who Was Royal Mint Engraver Jean Baptiste Merlen?
First Official Silver Sovereign
The 2025 Sovereign is the first to be produced in 999 silver.
The 2025 silver Sovereign is the same size as the standard 22-carat gold coins, weighing 7.98 grams and measuring 22.05 millimetres from milled edge to milled edge.
These silver 2025 coins feature the classic Saint George and the dragon design. Created by Italian artist Benedetto Pistrucci in 1817, this instantly recognisable engraving has become closely associated with the history of the Sovereign. It is a fitting choice for the first silver release in the series.
Two variants of the 2025 silver Sovereign are available, differentiated by a tiny privy mark to the left of the date on the reverse. The mark celebrates 200 years since the 1825 Sovereign.
Read more: George and the Dragon: Benedetto Pistrucci's Masterpiece
Definitive Portrait Of King Charles III
All the coins in the 2025 Sovereign range feature a portrait of His Majesty Charles III on the obverse.
This is the first official coinage portrait of the King, and is the work of British sculptor Martin Jennings. It is the same portrait seen on new circulating UK coins.
In 2023 The Royal Mint issued Sovereigns with a crowned portrait of Charles III on the obverse. There was some speculation ahead of the release of the 2025 Sovereign that this coinage portrait, also created by Martin Jennings, would be used again though this is not the case.
The legend on the obverse of 2025 Sovereigns reads 'CHARLES III · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF · 2025 · '. Sovereigns featuring the St George design omit the date which appears on the reverse, while the shield-back coins have the date on the obverse.
2025 Sovereign Mintage Figures
Published mintage figures for coins from the 2025 Sovereign are notably low, attracting serious interest from collectors.
These figures include some coins that are only available in sets, including the 2025 Quarter Sovereign, the 2025 proof Two Pound, and the 2025 proof Five Pound coins.
- 2025 Silver Sovereign - 50,010 (total mintage)
- 2025 Silver Sovereign Privy Mark - 15,010 (total mintage)
- 2025 Proof Half Sovereign - 1,500 (more in sets)
- 2025 Shield Proof Sovereign - 5,000 (more in sets)
- 2025 St George Proof Sovereign - 2,025
- 2025 Piedfort Sovereign - 1,250
- 2025 BU Five Sovereign - 350
The number of proof 'full' Sovereigns of each type, available in an individual presentation is notably low. Just 5,000 boxed 2025 Shield proof Sovereigns are available and only 2,025 2025 St George proof Sovereigns. Combined, these limited edition presentation figures are lower than the total number of 2024 proof Sovereigns issued by The Royal Mint. The St George-design 2025 Sovereign is among the lowest mintage proof Sovereigns ever to be issued in the UK and is sure to become a key piece in any complete proof Sovereign collection.
The Final Rose Gold Sovereigns
Gold coins in the 2025 Sovereign range are to be the last produced in rose gold.
The pinkish tone of modern Sovereigns has attracted comment from collectors, with some preferring older, yellow-gold issues.
From 2026, the yellow-gold tone of historic Sovereigns will return. The Sovereign will still be made from 22-carat gold, as they have been for more than 200 years, but the exact composition of the metal alloy will be tweaked, reducing the reddish tone from the small amount of copper used to give these coins durability.