REVERSE DESIGNS
SHIELD & ST GEORGE ON DRAGON
Varieties in Moedern Soverigns
GEORGE III Sovereigns were minted from 1760-1820 at Royal Mint. It has portrait of the king on obverse and St. George & the Dragon Design on the reverse.
GEORGE IV Sovereigns were minted from 1820-1830 at Royal Mint. It has 2 varieties. First sovereign was with laureate head on obverse and St. George & the Dragon Design on the reverse. The second variety had bare head of the king on obverse and shield design on the reverse.
WILLIAM IV Sovereigns were minted from 1830-1837 at Royal Mint. It shows bare head of the king on obverse and shield design on the reverse.
VICTORIA SOVEREIGNS (1838-1901)
The reign of Victoria (1837-1901), niece of William IV, was long enough to prompt three distinctive portraits. These depicted her as the young woman of 18 on her ascension to the throne, as a mourning widow on her golden jubilee in 1887 and as an elderly empress in 1893 .Victorian sovereigns are divided up into three different heads, and two different reverse types, making four major types in all. These are:-
* Young Head - Shield Reverse. These were known as "Shields" and were struck between 1838 and 1887. The coin features the first design of her reign and also the Shield and was the first to be issued during the reign of Queen Victoria by the Royal Mint. The obverse was designed by William Wyon.
* Young Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse. These were usually just called "Young Heads”. It was first struck in 1871 and then regularly until 1885. This was the first Queen Victoria Sovereign to feature the Pistrucci classic St. George & the Dragon Design. The obverse was designed by William Wyon.
* Jubilee Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse usually called "Jubilees". First minted in Victoria's Golden Jubilee year of 1887, the coin featured the traditional St. George and the Dragon design, but with a new portrait of the Queen. The stunning Queen Victoria 'Jubilee Head' Sovereign was struck between 1887 and 1893; it was issued for just 6 years of her reign.
* Old Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse called “Old Heads". It was issued between 1893 and 1901. This was the last Sovereign type to be struck during the reign of Queen Victoria. It features, what has been said to be, a more realistic effigy of the elderly Queen on the reverse. It features the veiled head design of Queen Victoria. On the reverse the famous St George and the Dragon design by Pistrucci can be seen.
EDWARD VII : Struck between 1902-1910 during the reign of Edward VII, in 22 Carat Gold. Edward VII Sovereigns are always highly sought-after amongst collectors, not surprisingly due to Edward's comparatively short reign. The Sovereign features the famous design of Pistrucci's St George and the Dragon.
THE GEORGE V Sovereign was minted up until 1914 at the London branch of the Royal Mint. Production ceased because of the outbreak of the First World War. The coin was struck in London in just one further year of the reign, 1925. The reverse features the famous St George & the Dragon design by Pistrucci, with the obverse portraying the monarch George V.
Grading a Sovereign
The Important points while examining a sovereign with the St George reverse for strike & wear are mentioned below:-
* The crest of St George’s helmet
* St George’s chest, together with the strap & pin fastening his cloak
* The bridle as it crosses the horse’s neck
* The muscle separation in St George’s upper thigh
* The horse’s forequarters & rump
* The “bloodline” in the sword
* The upper band across St George’s boot
* The dragon’s torso below its neck.
SHIELD & ST GEORGE ON DRAGON
Varieties in Moedern Soverigns
GEORGE III Sovereigns were minted from 1760-1820 at Royal Mint. It has portrait of the king on obverse and St. George & the Dragon Design on the reverse.
GEORGE IV Sovereigns were minted from 1820-1830 at Royal Mint. It has 2 varieties. First sovereign was with laureate head on obverse and St. George & the Dragon Design on the reverse. The second variety had bare head of the king on obverse and shield design on the reverse.
WILLIAM IV Sovereigns were minted from 1830-1837 at Royal Mint. It shows bare head of the king on obverse and shield design on the reverse.
VICTORIA SOVEREIGNS (1838-1901)
The reign of Victoria (1837-1901), niece of William IV, was long enough to prompt three distinctive portraits. These depicted her as the young woman of 18 on her ascension to the throne, as a mourning widow on her golden jubilee in 1887 and as an elderly empress in 1893 .Victorian sovereigns are divided up into three different heads, and two different reverse types, making four major types in all. These are:-
* Young Head - Shield Reverse. These were known as "Shields" and were struck between 1838 and 1887. The coin features the first design of her reign and also the Shield and was the first to be issued during the reign of Queen Victoria by the Royal Mint. The obverse was designed by William Wyon.
* Young Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse. These were usually just called "Young Heads”. It was first struck in 1871 and then regularly until 1885. This was the first Queen Victoria Sovereign to feature the Pistrucci classic St. George & the Dragon Design. The obverse was designed by William Wyon.
* Jubilee Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse usually called "Jubilees". First minted in Victoria's Golden Jubilee year of 1887, the coin featured the traditional St. George and the Dragon design, but with a new portrait of the Queen. The stunning Queen Victoria 'Jubilee Head' Sovereign was struck between 1887 and 1893; it was issued for just 6 years of her reign.
* Old Head - St. George & Dragon Reverse called “Old Heads". It was issued between 1893 and 1901. This was the last Sovereign type to be struck during the reign of Queen Victoria. It features, what has been said to be, a more realistic effigy of the elderly Queen on the reverse. It features the veiled head design of Queen Victoria. On the reverse the famous St George and the Dragon design by Pistrucci can be seen.
EDWARD VII : Struck between 1902-1910 during the reign of Edward VII, in 22 Carat Gold. Edward VII Sovereigns are always highly sought-after amongst collectors, not surprisingly due to Edward's comparatively short reign. The Sovereign features the famous design of Pistrucci's St George and the Dragon.
THE GEORGE V Sovereign was minted up until 1914 at the London branch of the Royal Mint. Production ceased because of the outbreak of the First World War. The coin was struck in London in just one further year of the reign, 1925. The reverse features the famous St George & the Dragon design by Pistrucci, with the obverse portraying the monarch George V.
Grading a Sovereign
The Important points while examining a sovereign with the St George reverse for strike & wear are mentioned below:-
* The crest of St George’s helmet
* St George’s chest, together with the strap & pin fastening his cloak
* The bridle as it crosses the horse’s neck
* The muscle separation in St George’s upper thigh
* The horse’s forequarters & rump
* The “bloodline” in the sword
* The upper band across St George’s boot
* The dragon’s torso below its neck.
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