The 2023 Prince George’s 10th Birthday Gold One Eighth Sovereign

Prince George’s 10th birthday and to celebrate, the world’s first ten-sided gold one-eighth sovereign coin!

This is an incredibly significant year in British history: not only have we celebrated the coronation of a new monarch, the first in over seventy years, but we also celebrate the milestone 10th birthday of HRH Prince George, second in line to the throne and grandson of King Charles III! Prince George of Wales is the future of our monarchy and we are starting to see more of him, and get to know his cheeky personality, at major royal events.

A new sovereign coin has been produced to celebrate Prince George’s 10th birthday. It is the first ten-sided one-eighth sovereign coins ever, in tribute to the young prince’s 10th birthday. What makes it of further interest is that it depicts the prince’s namesake St George, in his quest to vanquish the dragon. The design, by esteemed British coin designer Jody Clark, has been created especially for this coin issue, meaning these are the first coin of its kind ever to feature this new rendition of St George and the dragon! This new coin is certain to be subject to considerable demand.  Here’s a snapshot of this coins most important benefits:

• It is the first ten-sided one-eighth sovereign coin ever produced, this special shape chosen to celebrate Prince George’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.
• The coin features a new rendition of St George slaying the dragon by artist and designer Jody Clark. The tale of St George has a long association with the monarch, and also with the gold sovereign coin series, ensuring these new coin joins a long and proud heritage.
• Jody Clark, designer of this new St George design, has a considerable list of coin design  honours. In 2018 he was chosen to create a British five pound coin to celebrate Prince George’s 5th birthday. He is also the designer of the portrait of King Charles III, the young prince’s grandfather, on the obverse. Finally, he created the fifth, and final, coinage portrait of Prince George’s great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
• This is the first one-eighth sovereign coin issued to celebrate a milestone in Prince George’s life.

For Prince George’s 10th birthday, the first ten-sided one-eighth sovereign coin ever!

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. This is why this world-first coin has been authorised to mark his 10th birthday this year. This new coin is ten-sided (decagonal), creating a sovereign that stands apart from all others, a unique tribute to this popular young member of the Royal Family.

It’s worth remembering this is the first time a gold one-eighth sovereign coin has been produced to celebrate a milestone in the life of the young prince, and that celebration features a new rendition of St George and the dragon that will be in considerable demand.

St George and the Dragon – a design classic reworked by a British master of coin design

In addition to its world-first ten-sided shape, this coin is also significant for the design that features on the reverse side. In honour of Prince George’s saintly namesake, it features a modern interpretation of the tale of St George and the dragon.  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, a master of portraiture and coin design. He created 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 this one-eighth sovereign coin, leading to the unusual circumstance of both sides of the same coins being the work of the same designer. Finally, it was he who was selected to create a design in 2018 to mark Prince George’s 5th birthday: although on that occasion sovereigns were not among the coins produced.

This world-first ten-sided coin for the young prince’s 10th birthday is the first gold one-eighth sovereign produced to celebrate a milestone in Prince George’s life. The design of St George is accompanied by the legend GEORGIUS VICTOR ERIT (“George will be the victor”) and this is both a description of the scene and also a wish for Prince George’s future.

Authorised by Tristan Da Cunha  and approved by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Buckingham Palace, it is a wonderful celebration.