Description
The world’s first sovereign coins ever to feature a lenticular design that changes depending on how you angle them – an important first to celebrate the anniversary of our United Kingdom!
This year we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the creation of the United Kingdom – the moment when the Acts of Union between Britain and Ireland brought together the entirety of the UK. The idea of bringing together Britain and Ireland as one political entity had long been proposed, but there were longstanding debates on both sides. Agreement was finally reached in 1800, and the legislation came into effect between 31st December 1800 and 1st January 1801 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now, to celebrate this pivotal moment in the formation of our nation, new gold sovereign coins have been released. This marks an exciting moment in coin design, as these new coins feature a design element never seen before on sovereign coins! For the first time ever, the artwork contains a lenticular feature, the result of which is that the main date in the design changes – from 1800 to 1801 – as you tilt each coin, creating a dynamic hologram-like effect!
This is a truly innovative way to celebrate such a significant date in the creation of the United Kingdom, and in many ways it reflects the way the U.K. has been forward-thinking in its approach to technology and design.
These new sovereign coins are sure to hold high appeal – innovative ‘firsts’ such as this always do. However, the mintages are very low, making them among the rarest of their kind ever, and this is likely to mean they will be keenly contested!
Here is a snapshot of the benefits:
1. This is the first time a lenticular design has ever featured on gold sovereign coins. Tilt any of them and the date changes from 1800 to 1801, recalling the very moment that legislation was enacted forming the United Kingdom.
2. This striking design feature is by Matt Dent, creator of the popular ‘jigsaw’ Shield of Arms decimal coins of Queen Elizabeth II. Alongside the lenticular date design on each coin are the four national emblems of the United Kingdom: the English rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock and Welsh daffodil. On the obverse is the portrait of King Charles III by Jody Clark.
3. This was a critical moment in the history of this nation: although unification had been proposed for quite some time it became increasingly necessary to unify control and coordination at a time when Britain was coming under increasing threat of invasion by Napoleon.
The world’s first sovereign coins with a lenticular ‘hologram’ effect design – what makes it so special?
As we mark an important moment in the history of our nation, these new coins offer collectors and history-lovers alike the chance to own a first-of-its-kind tribute to our own United Kingdom: the first sovereign coins ever to feature a lenticular design!
This clever feature is the work of acclaimed artist and coin designer Matt Dent. His body of work is impressive, and includes the engaging and popular decimal series 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p of Queen Elizabeth II that featured a ‘jigsaw’ design of the U.K. Shield of Arms. Chances are you’ve had these coins in your change and wondered how the design works: each of the six coins has a ‘segment’ of the Shield of Arms so if you arrange them in the right places you form the Shield of four quarters.
Now, he has turned his expert eye to the design of this gold sovereign series to create a dynamic design feature in which the date changes as you tilt any of the coins on an angle. Similar in appearance to a holographic image, this lenticular construction is made up of two ridged designs that can be viewed separately depending on the angle of the coin. Technically complex, this creates a change in the main date in the design bringing the dates 1800 and 1801 to life.
Celebrating 225 years of the United Kingdom!
Whilst England and Scotland had united to form Great Britain in 1707, the merging of Ireland and Great Britain was more problematic, and many years passed without any progress. Then in the late 1700’s, British concerns over Irish rebellion and the threat of a French invasion brought a new urgency to the situation. Agreement was finally reached between the nations in 1800, and the Acts of Union came into effect between 31st December 1800 and 1st January 1801 – hence the changing date in this design, with 1800 changing to 1801 as you angle each of the coins.
The merged Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland held its first meeting on 22nd January 1801. The Irish Parliament was dissolved and Ireland was given representation in the British Parliament, including 100 MPs in the House of Commons. As a result of this consolidation, a new Union Flag was created, combining the flags of St George’s Cross (which was deemed to include Wales) and the St Andrew’s Saltire of Scotland with the St Patrick’s Saltire to represent Ireland. Often referred to as the Union Jack, it has remained unchanged as the flag of the United Kingdom since that time.
At the same time, a new Royal Title was adopted for the monarch: George III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, and Defender of the Faith. There was also a new Shield of Arms. In adopting these, the obsolete English claims to the French throne were discontinued: the title ‘King of France’ was abandoned and the fleur-de-lis were removed from the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom for the first time since the Middle Ages. The 1800 Act of Union shaped the structure and identity of both the U.K. and Ireland, laying the foundation for the modern United Kingdom. It’s legacy continues to be relevant today and deserves acknowledgment in these changing times.
Benefit from the SELL OUT GUARANTEE
The 2025 Anniversary of the United Kingdom Gold Essential Infill Sovereign Set will not exceed 848 sets and is also subject to our new SELL OUT GUARANTEE. What this means is that availability of this set will end on 31st January 2026. At that time, any sets that are unsold will be melted down and verified to that effect.
At that point, we will issue to owners of this set a new certificate stating the final mintage which may be lower, or possibly considerably lower, than 848. If the mintage remains at 848 then this means the set sold out entirely to keen customers, and if not, you may have secured for yourself a low mintage rarity.
Either way, there will be little or no surplus of this set on the secondary market and so the set you own will be a rarity!
This set comes in a luxury presentation box with space to put your 2025 Anniversary of the United Kingdom Gold One Eighth Sovereign.
