Lord Nelson is our nation’s greatest naval leader and strategist. From 1793 until his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 he fought with vigour and imagination, often out-manoeuvring his enemies with tactics and strategies that no-one had used before. He was courageous too, leading “from the front”, resulting in the loss of an eye while defending Corsica and then the loss of an arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz in Tenerife. His decisive victories secured Britain’s dominance of the seas for more than a century, which in turn enabled the expansion of Britain’s trading empire right around the globe.
One of the greatest victories of Nelson’s career was his defeat of the Napoleon’s navy at the Battle of the Nile. This was more than just ‘a win’ though; Nelson destroyed much of the fleet pitted against him. Historians at the Royal Navy call it “the most overwhelming naval victory in the age of sail” Although there was recognition of this victory at the time, no commemorative coins were produced. Now, in this 225th anniversary year, this historical oversight is being corrected with the release of a limited edition gold one-eighth sovereign coin to celebrate Britain’s greatest naval commander, Lord Nelson.
This coin is of great significance, here’s a brief snapshot of its most important benefits:
Lord Nelson had a reputation not just in Britain. He was known around the world and he received, with great pride, many accolades from ‘the great and the good’. Following his tremendous victory at the Battle of the Nile 225 years ago, Nelson sailed to Naples where he was met in person by King Ferdinand IV. The City of London presented swords to Nelson and his captains, whilst King George III ordered they receive special medals of honour. He was sent opulent gifts from Emperor Paul I of Russia and Sultan Selim III of the Ottoman Empire, and was awarded the title ‘Baron Nelson of the Nile’.
All this glory, but significantly, no commemorative coins were produced to honour Nelson’s great victories during his lifetime, or indeed in the decades after. Upon his death in 1805, he was given a State funeral lasting more than five days – however, there was no permanent way for the people of Great Britain to celebrate or indeed commemorate this major national hero.
It’s worth considering that if a victory such as Trafalgar or the Nile had been won today there would be a myriad of commemoratives marking Nelson’s achievements, so this new coin will rectify this oversight from his own lifetime.
The coin chosen to celebrate Nelson – a gold one-eighth sovereign – belongs to a ‘family’ of coins that are every bit as special as his career. In fact, the growth of the gold sovereign into a world currency in the 19th century, and the expansion of Britain’s trade empire that carried them around the globe, establishing them as coinage in over 30 different territories and nations, are all directly linked to Nelson’s victories and the pre-eminence it established for the Royal Navy.
Authorised by Tristan Da Cunha and approved by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Buckingham Palace.