One Guinea 2020 Military, Coin from Saint Helena - detailed information

The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned old bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation (effigy known as the "Fifth Portrait" worldwide but "Sixth Portrait" in Australia, where the Queen's portrait by Vladimir Gottwald was fifth).

The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen mother) in 1937.

Unlike on British coinage, the effigy is "uncouped" (includes the Queen's shoulders). In small letters on the left, the artist's initials JC (for Jody Clark).

Running continuously around the rim is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the face value: ELIZABETH II · D · G · REGINA · F · D · ST. HELENA · £1.05 POUNDS ·. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Saint Helena.

In the field below right, above the Queen's shoulder, E·I·C, abbreviated from the name of the East India Company.

The reverse of the coin shows the crowned and garnished shield bearing the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (as of 1813) within the Garter of the Order of the Garter, with the motto HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE · inscribed on it, partly obscured by the crown.

"Honi soit qui mal y pense" is an Anglo-Norman maxim which means "Shame on whosoever would think badly of it," or "May he be shamed who thinks badly of it". Its literal translation from Old French is "Shame be to him who thinks evil of it."

The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland. At centre, an escutcheon of the arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover), of which King George III was Elector as Georg III. Wilhelm Friedrich, and later king when it was elevated to a kingdom; the shield is crowned with the Crown of Charlemagne - reflecting the King's role as Arch-Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire.

The crown on top is St Edward's Crown, named after Saint Edward the Confessor, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It has been traditionally used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th century, with a two-century gap between 1689 and 1911 so King George III was not himself crowned with it.

The base of the Garter divides the date of issue, 2020.

Around the rim, the second part of the King's legend (on the original guinea the first part of his legend was on the obverse; however, this coin has Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse). It reads BRITANNIANUM · REX · FIDEI · DEFENSOR - translated from Latin, "King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith".

Finish: proof.
Packaging: in timber presentation box, with a Certificate of Authenticity (500 coins), or in sets.
East India Company SKU: SH20MGGP
Issue price: £695.00