Sovereign 2025 Shield, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

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 and the date of issue: CHARLES III · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF · 2025 ·. Translated from Latin, the legend means: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith.

The reverse of the coin shows the crowned shield bearing the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, in their form as in 1825. 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 IV was King as Georg IV; the small 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.

Around left and right, the Latin inscription: ARMA GEORGII IV BRITANNIARUM REGIS - Arms of George IV, King of Britain.

Finish: Proof FDC.
Limited Edition (individually boxed): 5,000. Maximum coin Mintage (including coins in sets): 7,035.

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.