In 1989 to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the First Gold Sovereign, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Tudor Rose Gold Proof Half Sovereign Coin struck in solid 22 Carat Gold and features a new obverse and reverse design and has been Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR70 DCAM.
The 1989 Gold Proof Half Sovereign Coin, designed by Bernard Sindali, 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 Her Majesty 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.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.