1981 Gold Proof Full Sovereign Elizabeth II Coin
Limited edition gold proof Sovereign, minted in 1981: the year Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. This coin features the second definitive portrait of the groom’s mother, Her Majesty the Queen, by artist and sculptor Arnold Machin. This effigy was used on British money between 1968 and 1985 and shows Elizabeth II facing left and wearing a tiara. This youthful engraving is paired with a historic reverse design, synonymous with the gold Sovereign. It was designed for the first modern Sovereigns, issued in 1817 in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The engraving shows Saint George - England’s patron saint - mounted on a rearing horse which crushes a cowering dragon beneath its hooves. It’s the work of an Italian artist named Benedetto Pistrucci and has been used on these coins for two centuries now. This 1981 Sovereign maintains the standards established back in the days of George III: it is composed of 7.98 grams of 22 carat gold with a diameter of 22.05 millimetres. What makes this edition different is the proof finish, achieved with multiple strikes of hand-prepared dies. Proof coins have an attractive high-contrast appearance and are minted in smaller numbers than their bullion counterparts. This Sovereign is one of 32,960 issued in this year and is offered in its original case with its numbered certificate of authenticity enclosed. System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String] System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String]