25 August 2022
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The Royal Mail has unveiled the two final coins in its 2022 Sovereign Collection commemorating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The Five Sovereign Piece, which features a change of design in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee, is the largest coin in the 2022 Collection. The coin’s size enables viewers to appreciate the detail in the new design by artist Timothy Noad, which is new interpretation of the Royal Coat of Arms. The Sovereign habitually depicts an interpretation of St George and the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci, and any change to the design is reserved for momentous State occasions such as the Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.
‘It’s a huge privilege to be chosen for the third time to design the reverse of the iconic Sovereign,’ said Timothy Noad. ‘The first time was 20 yers ago for Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee of 2002, and the second was the first new St George and the Dragon since Pistrucci’s iconic design. I’m very proud to be making it a hat-trick!’
The other new coin in the 2022 Sovereign Collection is the Piedfort Sovereign, which is twice the thickness of a normal sovereign. The Piedfort Sovereign’s history goes back as far as the 12th century, and includes a period between the 16th and 17th century when they were given to members of European Royal Courts as ‘Prestige Pieces’.
The Sovereign’s history dates back to 1489, when Henry Vll, the first Tudor king, ordered a ‘new money of gold’ that would symbolise the might of the Tudor dynasty. More than 500 years later, the Sovereign has a close relationship with the Crown and is a flagship coin for The Royal Mint.
Issue date: 25 August
