First struck more than 500 years ago, The Sovereign was a new gold coin minted for the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, and was the largest ever seen in England. It was designed to impress, from its size to its majestic portrait of the king in his coronation regalia. Although it fell out of favour after a time, centuries later, The Sovereign was revived and went on to become known as the ‘chief coin of the world’. It was respected for its quality and reliability, and prized for its beautiful St George and the dragon design, created by Benedetto Pistrucci for the Sovereigns of 1817. The classic Sovereign design itself is a sign of prestige, and it appears again on all the coins of The Sovereign 2021 family.

From its royal beginnings to today, The Sovereign has always been closely associated with the monarch. Over Her Majesty The Queen’s long reign, The Sovereign has marked many milestones, from jubilees to birthdays and anniversaries. For 2021, the four coins in this set feature a unique ‘95’ crown privy mark, which will appear for this year only. The Sovereign coin itself also has a milled edge, which features a symbolic 95 mills in celebration of The Queen’s 95th birthday.