| Coin | Sovereign 2025, Saint George and Dragon |
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The sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal face value of £1 (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.
In most recent years, it has borne on the reverse Benedetto Pistrucci's design of Saint George and the Dragon, created in 1817.
The Royal Mint issues several denominations of the Sovereign: Five Sovereigns (Quintuple Sovereign, five pounds gold), Double Sovereign, Full Sovereign, Half Sovereign and Quarter Sovereign; the current sovereign is a continuation of the pre-decimal sovereign, and has been issued as a decimal coin since 1974.
The designs of all denominations are identical, as - according to tradition - this type of coin has never had its value and denomination spelled out anywhere on the coin. The various denominations are only distinguished by size and weight, these being exactly in proportion to their face value. Since 1817, the composition has always been 22 carat (91.67%) gold.
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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 | Royal Mint Product Code (bullion): UKB25SVC
Release date: 7 October 2024 as bullion.
Release price (bullion): £509.26.
The Royal Mint announced the 2025 Sovereign range on 3 October 2024, for later release. It stated that these coins will be the final sovereign issue in red gold (also known as rose gold), and that later issues would return to the traditional "yellow" gold composition. |
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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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