| Coin | Sovereign 2025 Shield |
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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. This coin, however, is part of a commemorative sovereign series issued in 2025 of five different sizes which features a re-mastered version of the sovereign as it was 200 years earlier - the 1825 "shield" sovereign by Jean Baptiste Merlen.
The reverse displays the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom in its form as it was then - which included an escutcheon (inclusion) at its centre of the arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover), of which King George IV was also the king, under the German name of Georg IV.
The Coat of Arms was displayed on British coinage in this form until Queen Victoria inherited the throne of the United Kingdom but not that of Hanover, which passed to a male successor of King William IV, thus ending the personal union between the two countries. An extensive range of "shield" type sovereigns was issued during her reign with the modern coat of Arms of the United Kingdom - lacking the Hanoverian inclusion. |
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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 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.
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| Reverse | |
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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. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
ARMA GEORGII IV BRITANNIARUM REGIS |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | 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. |
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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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