2020 Sovereign Gold Proof Coin

THE 2020 SOVEREIGN COLLECTION

King George III ascended the British throne in 1760 and was to become England’s longest-ruling monarch until his granddaughter Queen Victoria. During his 59-year reign he presided over victory in the Seven Years’ War, a successful resistance to the threat of a Revolutionary and Napoleonic France and most famously the loss of the American Revolution. His reign saw the acquisition of Australia and New Zealand to the British Empire, the abolition of the Slave Trade throughout British colonies and the uniting of Great Britain and Ireland by the Act of Union creating a new ‘United Kingdom’. A devoted family man King George III was conscientious and well educated with a keen interest in science and the arts.

Commemorating one of Britain’s most famous and controversial monarchs on the 200th anniversary of the end of his reign in 1820, this series of five 2020 Sovereign denominations promises to be one of the most faithful and unique tributes to his reign celebrating some of his most exceptional coin designs and exploring the fascinating stories behind them.

THE 2020 SOVEREIGN DESIGN

First seen on one Guinea gold coins in 1787, this unencumbered motif was the work of Lewis Pingo (1743 – 1830) whose design features a simple crowned shield of the Royal Arms. The reference of a “spade” Guinea is attributed to the shape of the crest – it may also reference the nickname of King George III who was colloquially known in his day as “the Farmer King”.

The shield is divided in four quarters, each quadrant includes representation for England and Scotland, France, Ireland and the German possessions of the Hanoverian dynasty.

The design is surrounded by the motto “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE”. George III was the last English and British monarch to formally relinquish a claim to the Crown of France in 1800. This was largely due to the Act of Union and also because France officially became a Republic eight years earlier. The last Spade Guineas were minted in 1799, with the very last gold one Guinea coins being minted in 1813.