Double Sovereign 2022 St George and the Dragon, Coin from Ascension Island - detailed information

Ascension Island is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean which is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The currency of the island is the Saint Helena pound, fixed at parity with the pound sterling. The island has authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including the gold double sovereign, the specifications of which are compatible with the British double sovereign, with a nominal face value of £2 (two pounds) and composition of 22k gold.

The reverse of this coin is the first design in the Modern Masters Series that includes three new interpretations of the iconic Saint George and the Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci, which first appeared on a gold sovereign in 1817.

The collection is a celebration of that 1817 numismatic masterpiece and its legacy that lives on to this day. Former Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark (best known for his Fifth Definitive Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II) was tasked with the first recreation, to be followed by designs by South Africa’s Natanya Van Niekerk and America’s John Mercanti.

This is the first time when "sovereign" coins are struck with a bi-metallic composition. Traditionally, the sovereign is 22-carat gold; this coin is part of an edition of four sizes with the same design, which are struck on blanks made of two types of 22-carat gold - a traditional yellow alloy for the centre, and a "red gold" alloy for the outer ring.