UK Issues Iconic 5-Sovereign Gold Piece in Limited Quantity

August 10, 2016 By Michael Alexander Leave a Comment

The Royal Mint has announced (August 5) the issue of a new £5 gold sovereign struck to Brilliant Uncirculated quality with a limited mintage.

The coin continues almost 200 years of tradition; the first piece of this denomination was issued in 1820 during the reign of King George III as part of the country’s great coinage reform of 1816. Although the 1820-dated coin is one of the rarest in British numismatics, the denomination was occasionally used as a currency coin during the reigns of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

Its classic depiction of St. George slaying the Dragon was created by Benedetto Pistrucci in preparation for the issue of gold and silver coins in 1817. From King George III, the £5 gold piece has been released in either substantial quantity or as a limited issue, mostly during the year of a monarch’s coronation. The most celebrated £5 gold piece was issued on the occasion of the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1839; this coin, entitled “Una and the Lion” in recognition of its exemplary depiction of the young Queen aside the Lion of England, has also become one of the most sought-after pieces in British numismatics.

The recent issues of the £5 gold piece, which are equal in weight and face-value to five one-sovereign pieces, have also become popular collector coins. Since their initial issue in 1980 in Proof sets, this coin has also been produced with commemorative reverse designs for the 500^th anniversary of the first issue of the gold sovereign coin during the reign of Henry VIII. A special reverse design was used in 2005, which included the heraldic British Coat of Arms. The modern £5 gold piece has also seen four effigies of HM Queen Elizabeth II, including the current effigy designed by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark, introduced in March 2015.

The new coin carries Benedetto Pistrucci’s iconic reverse design, with the year of issue, 2016, shown below the depiction of St. George.

The obverse includes the new portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Denomination	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage
£5 Gold	.916.7 Gold	39.94 Grams	36 mm.	Brilliant Uncirculated	500 pieces

The coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom crafted hardwood gloss case accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For more information on this and other coins offered by the Royal mint, please visit their Web site. International sales will dispatched where applicable.

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