The Royal Mint is to release a strictly limited-edition of 500 Five-Sovereign Piece 2016 Brilliant Uncirculated coins for connoisseurs of The Sovereign to add to their collection. The largest coin in the Sovereign range, The Five-Sovereign Piece 2016 bears Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon reverse design.
The Five-Sovereign Piece 2016 is struck to Brilliant Uncirculated standard and contains almost 40 grammes of 22-carat gold – five times the weight of gold as The Sovereign. The coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
The Coin and Its Designer
The Sovereign is The Royal Mint’s flagship coin. Its iconic reverse design of St George and the dragon is a familiar and widely recognised symbol of strength and continuity that has appeared regularly ever since it was first introduced in 1817. The classical representation of the legend was created by Benedetto Pistrucci, and is regarded a numismatic masterpiece.
Specifications
From The Royal Mint’s website:
The coin of the monarch
This year Her Majesty The Queen celebrated her 90th birthday, becoming the first British monarch to reach this remarkable milestone. Following this momentous occasion The Royal Mint issues The Five-Sovereign Piece 2016, a coin long associated with royalty and the most imposing of The Sovereign family. The first Five-sovereign piece was dated 1820 and features the portrait of George III. The coin would become a coronation tradition, struck to honour each new monarch as they ascended the British throne.
Featuring Italian gem engraver Bendetto Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon design, this 2016 edition combines modern minting techniques with Georgian era authenticity. The coin has been struck using tools remastered from the originals, almost certainly worked on by Pistrucci himself, and reflects the styling of the original pattern piece of 1820 with Pistrucci’s name unusually written in full. Containing 40 grammes of 22 carat gold and struck to Brilliant Uncirculated standard, this imposing coin marks a year that featured another landmark moment to celebrate during Her Majesty’s long and eventful reign.
