The Royal Mint has unveiled the final coin in the 2022 Sovereign Collection – the Five-Sovereign Piece featuring a change of design in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The largest of the coins in the 2022 Sovereign Collection, the Five-Sovereign Piece allows collectors to admire the stunning detail of this year’s design featuring a new interpretation of the Royal Coat of Arms created by esteemed artist Timothy Noad. The Piedfort Sovereign, twice the thickness of a standard Sovereign, has its own fascinating history, tracing back to the twelfth century and including a time, between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in which they were given by European royalty as ‘prestige pieces’ to members of their courts.
The Sovereign is famous for its depiction of St George and the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci, and changes to the design are reserved for special moments in history such as the Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “We are excited to launch the final two coins in the 2022 Sovereign Collection – the Five-Sovereign Piece and Piedfort Sovereign. The 2022 Sovereign Collection celebrates Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with all coins featuring a change of design for one year only. The Five-Sovereign Piece and Piedfort Sovereign completes the collection, offering collectors another opportunity to celebrate Britain’s longest serving monarch with an original design featured on what is known as the ‘Chief Coin of the World’.”
Timothy Noad, Designer of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Sovereign said, “It’s a huge privilege to be chosen for the third time to design the reverse of the iconic for Sovereign. The first time was 20 years ago, for Her Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee of 2002, and the second was the first new St George and the dragon since Pistrucci’s iconic design, in 2005. I’m very proud to be making it a hat-trick!”
In 1489, Henry VII ordered a ‘new money of gold’ that would serve to symbolise the might of the Tudor dynasty. That large gold coin was The Sovereign and it has since evolved to become one of the world’s most distinctive and recognisable coins. More than 500 years since its inception, the ‘chief coin of the world’ still shares a close relationship with the Crown and has become a flagship coin for The Royal Mint.
Interpretations of the Royal Coat of Arms have appeared on coins before – including the old £1- and its long-standing association with the Monarchy makes a fitting design for the 2022 Sovereign.
The Five-Sovereign Piece celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be available from The Royal Mint’s website www.royalmint.com/sovereign