Silver Kilo 2023 Saint George and the Dragon, Coin from Saint Helena - detailed information

Saint Helena 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 in the very large silver kilogram (1 kg silver) format, denominated variously as £1, £5 or £50.

The mint says about this coin:
Our Masterpiece Collection continues with this rare opportunity to own William Wyon’s stunning interpretation of the original design of St George and the Dragon.

In 1844 William Wyon was personally commissioned to design a medal for Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. Albert was a progressive thinker, an evangelist for technological progress, a supporter of human rights causes such as emancipation and, perhaps most famously, a patron of the Arts, becoming President of the Society of Arts in 1843 before it gained its royal charter in 1847.

During the 1840s the Society of Arts held popular annual exhibitions that showcased British ingenuity. Henry Cole, a Society member, came up with the idea of a "Great Exhibition" which would celebrate such brilliance from across the globe. Prince Albert became President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, calming concerns from Parliament with his belief that the event would place British creativity and engineering on the world stage.

The Great Exhibition proved to be a spectacular success and, in tribute to his achievements and as “a token of remembrance of our long communion in this work”, Prince Albert presented Henry Cole with the special medal he had personally commissioned from William Wyon.

Wyon’s interpretation of St George and the Dragon, an iconic image that has become synonymous with his early rival, Benedetto Pistrucci (who designed the famous Saint George and the Dragon sovereign), is full of energy as St George slays the mighty dragon beneath his rearing steed, believed to have been modelled upon Prince Albert’s favourite horse, Imaun.