The Royal Mint has revealed George I, the first Hanoverian King, as the third coin as part of the highly popular British Monarchs coin collection.
The British Monarchs range will feature 21 coins over five years and will span four Royal Houses – Tudor; Stuart; Hanover; Saxe-Coburg, Gotha, and Windsor – remastering iconic designs in high definition for the first time thanks to the latest technology and minting techniques. The reverse of the latest coin features a coinage portrait of George I, while the obverse features Jody Clark’s definitive portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Whilst the design first appeared on British coinage more than 300 years ago, this coinage portrait has been faithfully recreated as close to the original as possible using state-of-the-art technology.
The eighteenth-century monarch appears on this new coin in the same classic design that would have featured on the coins of the Hanoverian era. Whilst the design first appeared on British coinage more than 300 years ago, this coinage portrait has been faithfully recreated as close to the original as possible using state-of-the-art technology.
Unlike the previous coins of the Tudor and Stuart era, the Hanoverian period saw an advancement of the minting process into mechanisation. Coinage at this time was vastly superior in quality to the hammered coins that came before, with improved lettering and portraiture showing a genuine likeness to the monarch and these characteristics have been faithfully recreated in the new George I portrait design.
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “There is strong appeal for collectors with this coin series. Coins from the Hanoverian period are coveted by collectors for their iconic design and the effigies have been faithfully recreated in fine detail using state-of-the-art technology and numismatic processes. People love to collect the designs of previous eras, and the British Monarchs series allows collectors the opportunity to add a coin with every monarch to their collection.”
The Hanoverians came to power in difficult circumstances that looked set to undermine the stability of British society. For all that, the Hanoverian period was remarkably stable, not least because of the longevity of its monarchs. From 1714 through to 1901, there were only six monarchs, one of whom, George III, remains the longest reigning king in British History. Queen Victoria then surpassed her grandfather in both age and length of reign.
The first coin in the collection launched in January and featured Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, followed by remastered coins of James I from the House of Stuart released in March.
In addition to these individual coins, The Royal Mint will also be releasing a limited number of sets with historic coins from the reign of George I. These limited-edition sets will feature a British Monarchs coin alongside a genuine historical coin from the era featuring the monarch’s portrait.
For more information about the George I 2022 coins please visit The Royal Mint website.