| Coin | Silver Sovereign 2025 |
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The Sovereign is the flagship of the Royal Mint bullion coin range. It started its life in 1817 as a gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal face value of £1 (one pound sterling), originally as a regular circulating coin (see pre-decimal Sovereign) accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world, and later as a bullion coin not intended for circulation but as a store of the intrinsic value of its metal. Its "definitive" version bears the reverse design of Saint George and the Dragon created by Benedetto Pistrucci.
The original coin was supposed to have gold content to the exact value of one pound at the fixed price of gold at that time, and fractional and multiple denominations had weights in exact proportion - i.e. the half sovereign was exactly half the weight, the double sovereign was exactly double the weight etc. By long standing tradition, the face value is not written on the coin - the denomination is supposed to be inferred from its weight.
The sovereign range was issued in 22 carat gold only until the Royal Mint introduced the concept of a "Silver Sovereign" in 2025, with a "Sovereign" coin having the same diameter and weight as a full gold sovereign, but made of 99.9% silver. Since silver has much lower density than gold, the coin has to be thicker to make up for it.
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin displays the first definitive portrait of King Charles III, which shows his bare (uncrowned) head facing left.
Below the neck truncation in tiny letters, the artist's initials MJ (for Martin Jennings).
Around, the monarch's legend: CHARLES III · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF ·. Translated from Latin, the legend means: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith.
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse depicts, within a beaded border, an illustration of the legend of St George as the slayer of the dragon.
St George is on horseback, advancing to right, wearing a helmet and chlamys (cape, or cloak) fastened in front by a fibula, and holding a sword. His left hand clutches the rein of the horse's bridle, and he does not wear armour, other than on his lower legs and feet, with his toes bare. The saint's horse appears to be half attacking, half shrinking from the dragon, which lies wounded by George's spear and in the throes of death. The point of a spear is broken off in the dragon’s side; the shaft lays on the ground behind the horse.
In exergue, the date: 2025.
Below the exergue line at right are the artist's initials B.P. (for Benedetto Pistrucci).
The figure is based on the original design of 1820 with St George's plumed helmet without its streamer. |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: Proof FDC.
Limited edition: 50,000. Maximum coin mintage: 50,010.
Packaging: in black presentation box, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
Release date: 26 November 2024.
Royal Mint Product Code: SPSV25T.
Release price: £79.99.
Additionally, coins with a privy mark (limited to 15,010).
The Royal Mint announced the 2025 Sovereign range on 3 October 2024, for later release.
This silver sovereign is the first coin of this kind ever issued. |
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| See also |
Coins in the Royal Mint's flagship bullion series, the Sovereign, issued in 2025:
- Five Sovereigns, Shield of the Royal Coat of Arms (1825), 2025
- Double Sovereign, Saint George and the Dragon, 2025
- Double Sovereign, Shield of the Royal Coat of Arms (1825), 2025
- Gold Sovereign, Saint George and the Dragon, 2025
- Gold Sovereign, Shield of the Royal Coat of Arms (1825), 2025
- Half Sovereign, Saint George and the Dragon, 2025
- Half Sovereign, Shield of the Royal Coat of Arms (1825), 2025
- Quarter Sovereign, Saint George and the Dragon, 2025
- Quarter Sovereign, Shield of the Royal Coat of Arms (1825), 2025
- Silver Sovereign, Saint George and the Dragon, 2025
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