The Royal Mint recently announced it will release a “strictly limited edition” of 500 Five-Sovereign Piece Brilliant Uncirculated coins for “connoisseurs of The Sovereign to add to their collection.”
The largest coin in the Sovereign range, this 2016-dated Five-Sovereign Piece bears Italian gem engraverBenedetto Pistrucci’s classic St. George and the dragon reverse design. It contains almost 40 grams of 22-carat gold—five times the weight of gold as The Sovereign—and has a diameter of 36.02 mm.
The recent release weighs 39.94 grams and has a 36.02-mm diameter.
COIN & DESIGN
The Sovereign is the Royal Mint’s flagship coin. Its iconic reverse design of St. George and the dragon is a familiar and widely recognized symbol of strength and continuity that has appeared regularly since it was introduced in 1817. The classical representation of the legend is regarded a numismatic masterpiece.
MONARCH’S COIN
This year, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday, becoming the first British monarch to reach this milestone. The Royal Mint marked the event by issuing the Five-Sovereign Piece, a coin long associated with royalty and the most imposing of The Sovereign family. The first Five-sovereign piece was dated 1820 and features the portrait of George III. The coin would become a coronation tradition, struck to honour each new monarch as they ascended the British throne.
Featuring Pistrucci’s classic St. George and the dragon design, this 2016 edition combines modern minting techniques with Georgian era authenticity. According to the mint’s engravers, the coin has been struck using tools remastered from the originals—almost certainly worked on by Pistrucci himself—and reflects the styling of the original pattern piece of 1820 with Pistrucci’s name unusually written in full.
| Denomination | £5 |
| Mintage | 500 |
| Alloy | 22-carat gold |
| Weight | 39.94 grams |
| Diameter | 36.02 mm |
| Reverse Designer | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Obverse Designer | Jody Clark |
| Quality | Brilliant Uncirculated |