In 2017 for the first time ever, to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Pistrucci's Reverse Design from 1817, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue St George and the Dragon Piedfort Gold Proof Sovereign Coin struck in solid 22 Carat Gold Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR70 DCAM.
The Piedfort Gold Proof Sovereign Coin is double the weight of its counterpart struck in 22 Carat Gold Proof and features on the reverse the legendary St George and the Dragon reverse from 1817 designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, together with the Fifth Portrait of Her Majesty, The Queen by Jody Clark on the obverse.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Piedforts are coins which have been especially struck on thicker than normal blanks.
As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces.
In Britain the practise of striking Piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.