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Sovereigns of Elizabeth II dates types mintages varieties and rarity scales.
Queen Elizabeth II (1952 - 2022)
Born: 21 Apr 1926
Accession: 6 Feb 1952
Married: Philip of Greece and Denmark
Coronation: 2 Jun 1953
Children: 4
Died: 8 September 2022, aged 96
Accession: 6 Feb 1952
Married: Philip of Greece and Denmark
Coronation: 2 Jun 1953
Children: 4
Died: 8 September 2022, aged 96
Chief coin of the world
Dating back to 1489 and since its revival in 1817, the Sovereign has played its part as a circulating coin, a bullion coin and, most recently, a commemorative coin.
Accessories
We buy and sell books, cases, holders, scales and anything sovereign related.
Queen Elizabeth II ruled for over 70 years and was the longest reigning monarch in British history. In her long reign Queen Elizabeth’s coinage has been through several portrait changes, more so since decimalisation in February 1971.
The young head type designed by Mary Gillick (1881 - 27 January 1965), the first woman sculptor to have an adopted design on a British coin. The master punch was engraved by Cecil Thomas, who designed the Coronation Crown of 1953. The young head portrait by Gillick continued on most issues until the 1967 dated coins, with one last final issue for a commemorative 1970 proof set. The Maundy coinage presented each Maundy Thursday continues to carry this young head portrait to the present time. It has become rather worn and touched up on the master tools and famously in 2002 when issued in gold for the Golden Jubilee proof sets, some of the Maundy Twopences literally had no nose on the portrait as the dies were engraved so weakly and shallow.
The first Sovereign of the reign was an excessively rare 1953 proof Sovereign as part of a set of record for Institutional collections only, consisting of a gold Five Pounds, Two Pounds, Sovereign and Half-Sovereign. One set was sold some decades ago by one of the Institutional owners, and has since been broken up into individual coins and sold. At least two extra single proof Sovereigns are in private hands, though one of these was stolen and presumably melted many years ago. If one should ever come up for sale it would be one of the most valuable modern British gold Sovereigns.
During the reign of Elizabeth II the Royal Mint has relocated from Tower Hill, London to Llantrisant in North Wales, ending over 150 year of coin production in London.
Six unique reverse designs known as 'special issues' these designs have proved extremely popular and have become modern design classics, coveted by Sovereign collectors.
The young head type designed by Mary Gillick (1881 - 27 January 1965), the first woman sculptor to have an adopted design on a British coin. The master punch was engraved by Cecil Thomas, who designed the Coronation Crown of 1953. The young head portrait by Gillick continued on most issues until the 1967 dated coins, with one last final issue for a commemorative 1970 proof set. The Maundy coinage presented each Maundy Thursday continues to carry this young head portrait to the present time. It has become rather worn and touched up on the master tools and famously in 2002 when issued in gold for the Golden Jubilee proof sets, some of the Maundy Twopences literally had no nose on the portrait as the dies were engraved so weakly and shallow.
The first Sovereign of the reign was an excessively rare 1953 proof Sovereign as part of a set of record for Institutional collections only, consisting of a gold Five Pounds, Two Pounds, Sovereign and Half-Sovereign. One set was sold some decades ago by one of the Institutional owners, and has since been broken up into individual coins and sold. At least two extra single proof Sovereigns are in private hands, though one of these was stolen and presumably melted many years ago. If one should ever come up for sale it would be one of the most valuable modern British gold Sovereigns.
During the reign of Elizabeth II the Royal Mint has relocated from Tower Hill, London to Llantrisant in North Wales, ending over 150 year of coin production in London.
Six unique reverse designs known as 'special issues' these designs have proved extremely popular and have become modern design classics, coveted by Sovereign collectors.
