1991 Gold Proof Three Sovereign Set Queen Elizabeth II
Limited edition gold proof Sovereign set, issued by The Royal Mint in 1991. The three coins in this set all feature Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Her Majesty the Queen to the obverse. This is the third such effigy used on Elizabeth II's coinage and was introduced in 1985. The design shows the Queen facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem. The reverse shows the instantly recognisable image of Saint George, England's patron saint, battling a dragon from his position on horseback. It's a classic British coinage design, seen perennially on Sovereigns since these coins were first struck in 1817. It's the work of Italian artist Benedetto Pistrucci and has become a way to identify Sovereigns, a denomination that does not state its value on its face. This set includes a Half Sovereign, a 'full' Sovereign and a Double Sovereign, all dated 1991. Each piece is struck to proof standard in 22 carat (916.7) gold to specifications established centuries ago. The total weight of the three Sovereigns is 27.95 grams, equating to an actual gold weight of 25.92 grams. The set is offered in its original presentation box from The Royal Mint. The certificate of authenticity notes that this set comes from a limited edition presentation of 2,500. Spink suggests a much lower number were actually issued, putting the figure at 1,165. What's certainly true is that these early decimal Sovereign sets are sought after by collectors. System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String] System.Threading.Tasks.Task`1[System.String]