With the health of his father, George III, in steady decline, the Prince of Wales assumed the role of Prince Regent in 1811. Initially, both the Prince and Parliament envisaged this arrangement as temporary; however, by 1812, the regency was confirmed as permanent when it became evident that George III would not recover. George IV stands as a captivating figure in British royal history, renowned for his extravagant lifestyle and notable vanity. The coinage from his reign offers a revealing portrait of a monarch keen to be depicted as youthful, handsome, and slender, an image carefully cultivated in contrast to the caricatures of contemporary cartoonists, who often portrayed him as gluttonous and overweight.

The 1822 George IV Gold Sovereign exemplifies this royal persona. The obverse features the first laureate head facing left, with the initials B.P. beneath the neck, denoting the esteemed engraver Benedetto Pistrucci. Encircling the portrait is the Latin legend, “GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:”, framed by a toothed border. The reverse presents St George and the dragon facing right, with the date inscribed in the exergue. To the upper right of the exergue, B.P. marks the designer’s signature, while the raised initials W.W.P. appear on the ground line beneath the lance, acknowledging William Wellesley Pole, the Master of the Mint at the time.

This sovereign encapsulates not only the artistic mastery of Royal Mint engravers but also a fascinating chapter in the story of a monarch who sought to define his legacy through both his lifestyle and his coinage.