1985 Gold Proof Full Sovereign Elizabeth II Coin
Limited edition 1985 proof ‘full’ Sovereign from a limited Royal Mint of just 17,242. 1985 was the year that the third definitive coinage portrait of Her Majesty the Queen was introduced to British coinage. The work of the sculptor, Raphael Maklouf it shows Elizabeth II, facing left wearing a tiara, earrings and a necklace. It’s a more mature depiction than Arnold Machin’s preceding portrait but still youthful in comparison to the effigy by Ian Rank-Broadley that would replace it in 1997. Maklouf’s Elizabeth is paired with a classic reverse design, long associated with the 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 1985 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 and a milled edge. 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 one is offered in its original presentation packaging with a numbered certificate of authenticity. System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String] System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String]