| Coin | Sovereign 2019 Half Crown |
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The sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal value of one pound sterling. Struck from 1817 until the present time, it was originally a circulating coin (see pre-decimal Sovereign) accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world; it is now a bullion coin not intended for circulation, the intrinsic value of which is much higher than its face value. There are several denominations of the Sovereign: Five Sovereigns (Quintuple Sovereign, five pounds gold), Double Sovereign, Full Sovereign, Half Sovereign and Quarter Sovereign; the current sovereign - with face value of £1 is a continuation of the pre-decimal sovereign, and has been issued as a decimal coin since 1974.
Apart from the sovereigns of the United Kingdom, the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha has also authorised some mints to issue sovereigns under its jurisdiction. These are denominated in Saint Helena Pounds - the local variation of the Pound Sterling. Following long-standing tradition, this type of coin has never had its value and denomination spelled out anywhere on the coin.
These are the first Sovereign-denominated coins issued for Saint Helena by The East India Company.
The Mint says about this coin:
Minted to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria, the 2019 Sovereign Gold Proof coin is the very first Sovereign to be issued in over 400 years of The East India Company’s history. Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India in 1877 adopting India, previously under "Company Rule" under the British Empire.
This Gold Proof Sovereign is part of the 2019 Queen Victoria Sovereign Collection - a series of sovereign denomination proof coins which celebrate the most iconic coins of Britain’s most famous monarch.
Depicting the beautiful the shield reverse as seen on Victoria’s last silver half-crown coins, this faithfully designed Sovereign incorporates the British spade-shaped coat of arms depicted on a single quarter-divided shield, featuring representations of the three realms of the United Kingdom. |
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| Obverse | |
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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). The artist's initials JC (for Jody Clark) are in tiny letters below left, above the Queen's shoulder.
Running continuously around the rim is the monarch's legend: ELIZABETH II · DEI · GRA · REGINA · F · D · ST. HELENA ·. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Saint Helena. |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse of the coin shows the crowned spade-shaped shield bearing bearing the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, hanging from which is the pendant of the Order of Garter depicting St George slaying the dragon.
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.
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 IV was not himself crowned with it.
In the background, Tudor roses. Above left in the rim, the EIC mint mark of the East India Company; the letters are separated by arrows radiating from the centre around which they are situated.
Around, the inscription DIRIGE · DEUS · GRESSUS · MEOS; translated from Latin, it means "May the Lord direct my steps". The inscription was first used on the Una and the Lion five gold sovereigns in 1839. Around below, divided by the pendant of the Order of Garter, the date of issue · 2019 ·. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
DIRIGE · DEUS · GRESSUS · MEOS · 2019 · |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: proof.
Packaging: in presentation box with Certificate of Authenticity (1,819 coins), or in sets (700 coins).
East India Company SKU: SH19SOV
Issue price: £695.00 |
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