In 1991 the Royal Mint released a very special Limited Issue Gold Proof Full Sovereign 2 Coin Set.
The set Includes the 1989 Tudor Rose 500th Anniversary Gold Proof Full Sovereign Coin and the 1991 St George Slaying the Dragon Gold Proof Full Sovereign Coin both struck in solid 22 Carat Gold.
In 1989 Tudor Rose Gold Proof Full Sovereign Coin was designed by Bernard Sindali, both of which are modern adaptions of the original sovereign design of 1489. The reverse is a Shield of the Royal Arms ensigned by an open Royal Crown, the whole superimposed upon a double rose and the circumscription ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOLD SOVEREIGN 1489-1989.
The obverse shows H M Queen Elizabeth II seated as at her Coronation, within the circumscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF, which may be translated as Elizabeth II - by grace of god, Queen, defender of the faith.
The 1991 Gold Proof Full Sovereign Coin, deliberately created to convey the majesty and dignity of the English Throne, was first struck as a coin in 1489 during the reign of King Henry VII and was duly struck in turn by each of the Tudor Monarchs.
Shortly after the Stuart succession, however, James I brought the issue of the Sovereign to an end and it did not reappear for another 200 years.
The Coinage reform that followed the Napoleonic Wars brought the return of this magnificent coin and for the new Gold Sovereign of 1817, the traditional heraldic reverse was abandoned in favour of a George and Dragon of classic beauty by Benedetto Pistrucci.
Now acclaimed as a masterpiece of numismatic art and famed throughout the world, Pistrucci's St George graces the Gold Proof Full Sovereign of 1991.
The obverse features the portrait of the Queen by Raphael Maklouf.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.