The world’s first seven-sided gold sovereigns. Highest possible proof quality. Struck in 22 carat gold.
Denomination: This set includes a one-eighth, quarter, half and full sovereign.
Metal Type: Gold 22 carat
Obverse: Portrait of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II
Reverse: Each of the new sovereigns in the series features a different design, and each one pairs an iconic pre-decimal coin motif with a decimal one, showcasing some of our best-loved national symbols.
World’s first seven-sided gold sovereign coins celebrate the seven-sided 50p and decimal changeover.
This year we mark the 50th anniversary of decimalisation in Britain, the biggest single change to our currency in over 1,000 years. The introduction of a decimal system of currency was a huge undertaking: almost a decade in the planning, it affected just about every facet of everyday life. In the lead-up to changeover in 1971 the government undertook a ‘saturation’ advertising campaign – it was difficult to look in a newspaper or watch TV without seeing an ad, or a news piece, about the change to decimal currency. And yet, when the change came, no amount of preparation was enough – people were still unprepared. Everyone in Britain at that time had spent their whole lives calculating with twelve pennies to the shilling and twenty shillings to the pound and now, with one action, this was swept aside and a new way of calculating replaced it.
It was a revolutionary change in British currency, which is why this year’s commemoration is so significant.
To celebrate 50 years of decimal changeover an important new series of gold sovereign coins has been struck. Why are they so important? Well, these are the world’s first seven-sided gold sovereigns, in recognition of the fifty pence, one of Britain’s new decimal coins and at the time the world’s first seven-sided coin! Its revolutionary shape made it not only incredibly distinctive, but also the only coin of its kind anywhere in the world. It remains today one of Britain’s most popular coins and a source of national pride.
Each of the new sovereigns in the series features a different design, and each one pairs an iconic pre-decimal coin motif with a decimal one, showcasing some of our best-loved national symbols. Proud Britannia, the Tudor Rose, Parliament’s Portcullis are all celebrated here. This finely balanced combination of historic and beautiful motifs is by the talented artist Matt Dent. His name may already be familiar to you? He is the designer of Britain’s current circulating decimal coins: the one penny to one pound with the ‘jigsaw’ of the Shield of Arms. There is a significance in having the creator of Britain’s current decimal coins create the designs for this 50th anniversary of decimalisation – yet another feature that makes these new sovereign coins exciting.
Decimalisation’s 50th anniversary celebrated with a series of designs by the creator of Britain’s current decimal coins!
The change from pre-decimal to decimal coins is illustrated on these world first gold sovereigns in these new designs created by Matt Dent. He is famed for creating the designs on Britain’s current circulating decimal coins: the ‘jigsaw’ designs of the Shield of Arms where each coin has a piece of the shield design. In his designs for this new series, the one-eighth sovereign pairs Britannia, symbol of naval might and courage, with the imposing portcullis gate of Henry Tudor. On the quarter sovereign we see the three lions of the English coat of arms, a symbol of the strength and power of the monarch, alongside the heraldic emblem of the Tudor rose. The half sovereign combines the famous Elizabethan ship ‘The Golden Hind’ with the national emblem of Scotland, the resilient Scottish thistle. The sovereign combines Britannia from the pre-decimal penny and the badge of the Prince of Wales from the decimal two pence. In each of these designs, the pre-decimal motif is shown on the left, with the decimal motif on the right of the coin, illustrating the transition from ‘old’ to ‘new’.
All of the coins are attractive in their own way but there’s one set with a number of features that make it a compelling purchase: the 2021 Decimalisation 50th Anniversary Gold Sovereign Prestige Set. The Prestige Set is a firm favourite among gold sovereign buyers and there’s little wonder why. It includes the one-eighth sovereign, quarter sovereign, half sovereign and full sovereign. Each coin is struck in the highest possible Proof quality. All have low mintages – the one-eighth sovereign is limited to 4,999 coins, with both the half and the quarter sovereign at 1,971 coins (reflecting the year of decimal changeover) and the sovereign at 1,399 mintage. It is these last three smaller mintage coins that have caught my attention – this is why:
The larger mintage of the one-eighth sovereign is likely to create considerable demand pressure for the three other coins in this set: of all those who can own the one-eighth sovereign, less than a third will be able to own the quarter sovereign and half sovereign. However, this becomes even more dramatic when you consider the sovereign: only 25% of those who own the one-eighth can also own the sovereign!
Authorised by Alderney, and approved by both the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Buckingham Palace, it is a wonderful celebration.