The 2010 Sovereign Family

The complete sovereign family now comprises five coins: the large, handsome £5 coin, the double-sovereign, the sovereign, the half-sovereign which have their roots in the reign of George III, and the exquisite quarter sovereign which made its debut in 2009. All feature Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic portrayal of St George and the dragon created for the first modern sovereign of 1817. However, the coins have been manufactured using original master tools, some of which were almost certainly worked on by Pistrucci himself. Thus each coin boasts its own individual characteristics; the reverse of the £5 coin reflects the original pattern piece of 1820 which, modelled on the 1818 crown, carried the artist’s name in full. The double-sovereign is also based on coins of 1820 but bears only the initials of Pistrucci. The sovereign features Pistrucci’s initials but also, reflecting the early sovereigns of George IV, is the only one of the four to feature the plumed helmet minus its streamer. The half-sovereign meanwhile, differs in that it carries no initials at all while both the initials and the streamer features on the quarter-sovereign.

As a whole, therefore, the collection comprises five beautiful coins that each bear Pistrucci’s dynamic masterpiece in all its original glory yet show fascinating idiosyncrasies that make them entirely individual.

The Queen’s Portrait

The portrait of the Queen, too, has been influenced by the first modern sovereigns: Ian Rank-Broadley has confessed a great admiration for Pistrucci and ‘being inspired particularly by his portrait of George III, I wished to revive elements of his work in this portrait’.