One-Year Types
Special Year Gold Sovereigns
T he Royal Mint has produced Gold sovereign coins for decades but only on rare occasions does it release a special year Sovereign design. The one-off designs are very highly sought after by collectors and typically trade at a higher premium to the conventional Gold Sovereign coin. This guide will showcase these beautiful special year Sovereigns and discuss details relevant to Sovereign collectors
2022 Special Year Sovereigns
The 2022 Gold Sovereign marks the platinum jubilee of Elizabeth II's reign and features a beautiful depiction of the British Royal Arms. The iconic design showcases the Lion of England and the Unicorn of Scotland separated by the Royal Arms shield. The design is very popular with investors given that it this special year Sovereign is very different to the customary George and the Dragon design
2017 Special Year Sovereigns
This special year design was struck to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the modern day Gold sovereign. The reverse of the coin mirroring the original 1817 design. This coin commands a high premium when offered into the market with the proof coins being in high demand. The coin is finished beautifully with the Order of the Garter with a buckle around the perimeter
2012 Special Year Sovereigns
Another one-off Sovereign design was issued just five-years prior to the 2017 Benedetto Pistrucci design. This followed the 2005 special year design as the second modern interpretation of St George and the Dragon. The occasion was to mark her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee and although a firm favourite with investors, commands a relatively low premium over traditional bullion Sovereigns
2005 Special Year Sovereigns
2005 was the first modern-day interpretation of St George slaying the dragon. The design itself is quite a rare find and is not often seen as many investors acquire it as part of their collections and tend to hoard rather than resale. The proof versions of these coins are very spectacular given the golden glimmer on the fields and how it contrasts with the frosting of the design
2002 Special Year Sovereigns
2002 marked her Majesty's Golden Jubilee with a wonderfully elegant shield that resembled the shield back design in 1838 for Queen Victoria. Bullion versions of the 2002 Sovereign are oftentimes confused as being proof given their reflective fields. The classic distinguishing factor between proofs and bullion versions is a frosted reef on the proof designs
1989 Special Year Sovereigns
The 1989 Gold Sovereign is a completely unique piece and is not as frequently seen in the market which is more to do with collectors not wanting to part with the coin rather than the coin's rarity. This special year design is considered to be the best Sovereign design in modern times
The 1989 was struck to celebrate 500 years of the Sovereign coin, from the Elizabethan era through to 1889. The full Gold Sovereign trades at a much higher multiple than the double Sovereign of the same year despite the larger Gold content of the Double Sovereign. This is because most collectors favour collecting full Sovereigns and thus the demand for 1989 full Sovereigns is so much greater than any other size minted that year which causes it to have a much higher premium over its intrinsic value
The crowned shield of the Royal Arms on a Tudor rose and was chosen for this design as it shared parallels with early hammered Sovereigns created in Henry VII’s reign. Moreover, the traditional portrait of Queen Elizabeth was changed for a design of the Queen seated on the coronation throne. This makes the 1989 full Sovereign a very special and must have design for any serious Gold Sovereign collector. Auronum pays a high premium for all special year Sovereign coins as can be seen from the live bids on the Specific Year Values section