Our latest release; the 2023 Prince George 10th Birthday Gold sovereign Range, celebrates the 10th birthday of HRH Prince George, second in line to the throne and grandson of King Charles III.
A world-first for many reasons, in this blog, we will be dissecting the main features of this remarkable range…
They are the first ten-sided sovereign coins ever in tribute to the 10th birthday
These are the first ten-sided sovereign coins ever, and this special shape has been chosen in tribute to the young prince’s 10th birthday. This is more technically demanding than the usual circular shape, taking skill and precision to achieve, and this unique feature is a world-first on gold sovereign coins.
Coins are rarely struck in any shape other than circular, but with the death last year of Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince George is now second in line to the throne, and so these coins have been authorised to mark the 10th birthday of our future king. These new decagonal sovereigns create a series of sovereigns that stand apart from all others, a unique tribute to this popular young member of the Royal Family.
They feature a new rendition of St George and the dragon
In addition to their world-first ten-sided shape, these coins are also significant for the design that features on their reverse side. In honour of Prince George’s saintly namesake, they feature a modern interpretation of the tale of St George and the dragon. The tale of St George has a long association with the monarch, and also with the gold sovereign coin series, ensuring these new coins join a long and proud heritage.
The first time St George appeared on British sovereign coins was in the year 1817 and that early design was by the talented Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci. Since then, a select handful of designers have been invited to create their own interpretations of the battle between St George and the dragon. Now, it is the turn of artist Jody Clark, who has a considerable list of coin design honours and has actually designed a number of St George and the dragon designs for Hattons of London in the past.
The designs have been created by British coin designer Jody Clark
Jody Clark is a master of portraiture and coin design, known for his creation of the fifth, and final, coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which appeared on all British circulation coins from mid-2015 until that monarch’s death in 2022. He has also created the portrait of King Charles III that appears on the obverse side of these sovereign coins, leading to the unusual circumstance of both sides of the same coins being the work of the same designer. In 2018 he was also chosen to create a British five pound coin to celebrate Prince George’s 5th birthday.
The design has been created especially for this coin issue, meaning these are the first coins of their kind ever to feature this new rendition of St George and the dragon! Interestingly, these sovereigns feature the usual design of St George where a horse is not present. We spoke with Jody Clark about what it was like to create this new rendition and if you would like to find out what he had to say, click HERE.
The 2023 Prince George’s 10th Birthday Gold Sovereign Range features a Latin inscription with a deeper meaning
Accompanying St George and his quest to vanquish the dragon, this design features the legend ‘GEORGIUS VICTOR ERIT’. When you translate this into English, it means ‘George will be the victor’. Not only does this describe the scene which we all know so well, i.e. George defeating the dragon, but it is also a wish for Prince George’s future as our monarch.