Description

The 2022 Memorial Sovereign range includes five UK Sovereigns struck in 22-carat gold with a total weight of 69.88 grams and an actual gold weight of 64.06 grams. These coins are presented in a premium wooden display case with a numbered certificate of authenticity and are part of a limited run of just 1,200 five-coin sets offered by The Royal Mint.

Sovereigns have been issued throughout history to mark royal milestones and to celebrate the coronation of new monarchs. The Royal Mint has offered a range of special designs during Queen Elizabeth II’s long reign, including a one-year-only design commissioned for the 2022 Platinum Jubilee to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s seventy years on the throne.

In addition to this design, The Royal Mint has authorised an exceptional Memorial Sovereign to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of her son, King Charles III, in September. The Memorial Sovereign range features two remarkable new designs and is available in a range of sets, denominations, and finishes.

The first of these new designs is a portrait of King Charles III, which is the first portrait of the King to feature on gold coins. The effigy was sculpted by British artist Martin Jennings and shows Charles facing left, the opposite direction to his mother on her coins. The legend around the portrait reads ‘CHARLES II · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF ·’.

The reverse of the 2022 Charles III Sovereigns shows the royal arms, which is a potent heraldic symbol used by the royal family and the British government. The interpretation of the royal arms is the work of Jody Clark, best known for his fifth and final definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Clark’s arms are surrounded by flourishes and national flower emblems, and his lion and unicorn are rendered with the realism that characterised the designs in his Queen’s Beasts series. The date ‘2022’ is featured on a scroll below the words ‘DIEU ET MON DROIT’.