Description
Only two monarchs in British history have celebrated Diamond Jubilees – Queen Victoria in 1897 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. As part of the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 a special design was created for the gold sovereign issues of that year. This design was only ever struck in the year 2012.
The design by Paul Day features a strikingly modern interpretation of St George slaying the Dragon. This romantic adaptation shows St George as a medieval knight of Arthurian style, with a dragon of more threatening attitude and size, its wings have a harp-like quality in contrast to the realism of the knight and horse. This is only the third time St George has been redesigned, and only the third commemorative sovereign ever issued which makes it sought-after by gold collectors.