Guinea and Sovereign Bicentennial Proof Set

The East India Company have paired the two coins that celebrate The Great Recoinage of 1816 that brought to an end the era of the golden Guinea and the rebirth of the Sovereign. The bicentenary series of the 2016 Guinea and the 2017 Sovereign celebrates the two most iconic gold coins in British coinage which laid the foundations of the modern pound coin today. This collection is set to be historically accurate and authentically crafted struck to the highest proof quality

The 2016 Guinea, minted to the exact same specification as its 1816 predecessor. Struck on 22nd June 2016, exactly 200 years to the day since the 1816 Great Recoinage Act and features a special punch mark “CC” to denote this. Angular Rope Milled Edge technique is a coin first to be used on HM Queen Elizabeth II coinage. Introduced in 1663 by King Charles II, it was Britain’s first machine struck coin and was to serve Britain during vast international expansion.

The 2017 Sovereign, is minted by the Royal Mint with tools remastered from Pistrucci’s 1817 originals. Featuring the iconic design of the very first modern Sovereign, the ‘garter’ surrounds Pistrucci’s famous motif, St George slaying the Dragon, struck for the first time since 1820. The coin’s date appears on the obverse for the first time since 1887. It is sold out as a single coin worldwide.

The Story of the Guinea by The East India Company and the Sovereign by the Royal Mint reflect a time under King George II between 1729 and 1739 when The East India Company ships would provide gold for the Royal Mint to produce Guineas. The Guinea and the Sovereign laid the foundation of the modern pound coin and today are presented together as a commemoration of the 1816 Great Recoinage Act.

The 1816 Great Recoinage Act:

The Great Recoinage of 1816 brought to an end the era of the golden Guinea and ushered in the rebirth of the Sovereign. The economic consequences of the long and disruptive French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had resulted in severe financial instability in Britain.

The huge cost of military engagement and the effects of years of disruption to European trade exports from Britain and its colonies, was exacerbated by a shortage of silver and copper used to mint coins and high corn prices. In an attempt to stabilise the currency the British government authorised an extensive recoinage programme to re-introduce silver coinage and replace the existing 21 shilling Guinea with a lighter 20 shilling piece – the Modern Sovereign. It was a turning point in coinage history as Britain formally adopted the gold standard.

The full story of our Collection is provided in an information booklet that sits inside our wooden presentation box.