Description
The 2020 King George III 200th Anniversary Heritage Gold Prestige Sovereign Set– the world’s first sovereigns to contain authentic George III gold!
King George III is Britain’s longest reigning king. He died on 29 January 1820 after more than 59 years on the throne, narrowly missing out on becoming the first monarch to reach a Diamond Jubilee. The first of the Hanoverians to be born in England, his achievements are often over-shadowed by the prolonged bouts of madness he suffered in his later years. However, the events and achievements of this era stand as a testament to his reign during which Britain became the dominant European power with the defeat of the French and Spanish at Trafalgar, the empire expanded in India and diminished in America, there was victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and Great Britain and Ireland were brought together as a single nation under the Act of Union in 1801, making George III the first king of the United Kingdom.
In 2020, Britain will mark the 200th anniversary of King George III, and as part of the celebrations an exceptional gold coin set has been minted: the world’s first sovereigns to include authentic Georgian gold from the reign of George III, with a design featuring one of the most important gold coins of his reign. Two of the world’s most renowned gold coins – the guinea and the sovereign – were issued by George III, which is why the beauty of the guinea and the might of the sovereign have been brought together to honour the 200th anniversary of our longest reigning king.
World’s first sovereign coins to contain authentic George III gold
Hattons of London have released the world’s first Heritage Mixture Gold Prestige Sovereign set. The coins in this set are the first of their kind ever to be produced from a mixture of antique and new 22 carat gold. Each of the sovereign coins released for the 200th anniversary of George III’s reign contains authentic gold from his reign and features a design as old as the gold itself!
Celebrating George III with historic designs of his most important gold coins
The sovereign coin in this set features the design of one of the most important gold coins of King George III’s reign: the ‘military’ guinea. The military guinea was only ever struck once in 1813 and was the last gold guinea ever struck. The portrait of the King and the reverse design had not appeared on any other guinea coin making this one year issue the only coin of its type. It is a crowned shield within a Garter, with HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE on the Garter – this is the motto of the Order of The Garter and means “Shame be to him who thinks evil of it”, that adorns the new sovereign. The half sovereign coin features the design of the 1787 half guinea – the last type of gold guinea ever struck for circulation within Britain. The quarter sovereign is also of great significance. It depicts one of the most important coins of his reign – the 1762 quarter guinea – which was only ever produced in that one year for this king. It is this direct historical link – between a one-off quarter guinea, and this new world first quarter sovereign – that will attract collector interest. Now, these rare guinea coins of George III comes alive again, appearing on the world’s first sovereigns coins to contain authentic Georgian gold of this monarch’s reign. That’s not all, the half sovereign in this set is not available singly which will restrict its availability on the secondary market.
This is an exciting first opportunity for collectors to obtain the first ‘heritage mixture’ gold sovereigns for their collection – these could well become the most sought-after sovereign coins of all time. Authorised by Tristan da Cunha, and approved by both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Buckingham Palace, it is a wonderful tribute.
