The Coronation Sovereign 2023
The flagship of the Royal Mint, the Sovereign is back and celebrates His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation. It is now available for purchase on Stonex Bullion.
Following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Charles became King on the 6th May 2023. As the Queen had been on the throne for more than 70 years, the coronation of the new King was eagerly awaited by the British and the whole world. With many people never having witnessed a coronation, the moment was historic and brought communities together. This Coronation Sovereign coin is an homage to this special day and the new King Charles III.
The coin has been expertly struck and produced to the unrivalled level of quality and craftsmanship that the Royal Mint is known for around the world.
How about the reverse?
The reverse features a return to Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic design of St George and the dragon, which is synonymous with The Sovereign. In 1817, Benedetto Pistrucci’s remarkable Saint George and the Dragon design helped secure the sovereign a reputation as one of the most recognizable coins in the world .
Pistrucci’s design for the sovereign was extraordinary at the time and still is now. Influenced by the Parthenon marbles that had recently been brought to London by Lord Elgin, and taking inspiration from coins such as the famous ‘Gloria Romanorum’ issued by the Emperor Magnentius (303–353), Pistrucci’s work was unlike anything seen before on a British coin-especially in terms of energy and movement.
Saint George is depicted naked and muscular riding a horse with just a cloak flying out behind him.The smooth, solid flesh of the horse contrasts beautifully with the spiky, writhing, dragon. The reverse is simple and bears only the date of mintage 2023 and the initials of the designer B.P. Truly remarkable and beautiful
And the obverse?
Each coin in The Coronation Sovereign bullion coin range bears the crowned coinage portrait of His Majesty The King, designed by Martin Jennings.
Mr Jennings is a well known sculptor whose famous statues include the one of George Orwell at BBC Broadcasting House in London. His work in celebration of great writers and poets is admired and acclaimed around the world.To research the way the Tudor crown was presented, Jenkins says he looked at old coins such as those of George VI. He modelled the crown in plasticine onto a plaster cast of the head and the design was completed using digital technology with the team at the Royal Mint.
The inscription surrounding the effigy on the coin reads "CHARLES III • DEI • GRA • REX • FID •DEF; This is an abbreviated form of ‘Charles III Dei Gratia Rex Fidei Defensor’, the Latin portion translates to: ‘by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith’. Both ‘Dei Gratia’ and ‘Fidei Defensor’ have appeared in the legends of coins issued in the British Isles for centuries.
This beautiful coin is struck in 22 carat gold and contains 7.3 grams of pure gold. Purchase it today on our website and own a piece of British History.