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Three Queen Elizabeth II Special Reverses 🇬🇧


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Three Queen Elizabeth II Special Reverses

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Three Queen Elizabeth II Special Reverses: Golden Jubilee Shield Reverse by Timothy Noad (2002), Adjusted St George & the Dragon by Timothy Noad (2005), Diamond Jubilee by Paul Day (2012).

DESCRIPTION

Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2002, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, Shield of Arms within open laurel wreath, date below, tiny TN monogram raised to the right for engraver Timothy Noad, edge milled (Marsh 316; S.SC5). Calendar year mintage 75,264.

Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2005, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, image of St. George, carrying a shield and a sword, slaying the dragon, date beneath the dragon’s wing, tiny TN monogram raised between the horse’s leg and the dragon’s wing to the right for engraver Timothy Noad, edge milled (Marsh 321; S.SC6). Calendar year mintage 45,524.

Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2012, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, image of St. George on horseback, attacking the dragon with a lance, date to the left, tiny PJD raised below the horse’s hoof to the right for engraver Paul Day, edge milled (Marsh 335; S.SC8). Calendar year mintage 432,925.

NOTES

The 2002 sovereigns honour the Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary of the accession to the throne) of Queen Elizabeth II by reviving a modern version of a coin design last seen on half-sovereigns of Queen Victoria in 1893. Instead of the renowned Benedetto Pistrucci engraving of St. George and the dragon, the reverse of the 2002 gold sovereign carries the Royal Coat of Arms for only the second time in 115 years. The only previous occasion was for the 500th Anniversary of the Sovereign in 1989.

The 2005 sovereigns have a new interpretation of the St. George and the dragon legend; Timothy Noad's Art Deco rendition shows the warrior as a knight fighting against the dragon with a sword. Strikingly different from Benedetto Pistrucci’s well-known and much-used representation, Noad’s St. George appears more animated and dynamic, ready to swipe the dragon with a mighty backhanded stroke!

For the 2012 sovereigns, the Royal Mint launched a competition to find a new design. The Royal Mint Advisory Committee eventually selected a design by the British sculptor Paul Day. “I have chosen to opt for a romantic version of the St. George and the dragon theme,” said Paul, “a medieval knight of Arthurian legend rather than a classical hero. I have given the dragon a more threatening attitude and size, so that it represents a real menace and not a weak foe.” Paul deliberately left very little empty space, making the reverse as engaging as possible and very different from the obverse. As he says, “I have always been attracted to detail which requires a closer look to be unpicked and fully understood.”

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Paul Day’s original model for the reverse of the 2012 sovereign.

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