The Sovereign 

The Sovereign was first introduced in 1489 when Henry VII demanded a ‘new money of gold’ to represent the power of his reign. It was issued by every monarch who followed until James I stopped the tradition. The Sovereign was eventually reborn during the coinage reforms of 1816, featuring Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George and the dragon design.

Just three years later the Ricardo Ingot Plan proposed that all circulating gold coins should be replaced by banknotes but The Sovereign endured. 

The History of The Sovereign.