The modern Great Britain Sovereigns were introduced in 1817 and is still issued to this day by the Royal Mint. However, the roots of this coin design concept go back much further than just 200 years ago. In fact, the foundation of this series goes back nearly twice that length. More than 500 years ago, King Henry VII issued the first coins with the name sovereign and bearing the likeness of the monarch with a common reverse design. In 1989, the Royal Mint marked the 500^th anniversary of those coins with special strikes of the Double Sovereign, Sovereign, and Half Sovereign. Provident Metals currently has 1989 Proof Great Britain Sovereign Gold 3-Coin Sets available to you for purchase online.

Highlights:

• Arrives with a commemorative display box!
• 500^th-anniversary version of the Gold Sovereigns!
• Designs draw inspiration from the original Tudor Sovereigns of 1489!
• Included in the set are all three modern weights of the British Sovereign Gold coins!
• Contains a total of .8234 Troy oz of actual gold content.
• The obverse portrays Queen Elizabeth II.
• On the reverse is the Tudor double rose behind the Royal Arms.

When you purchase one of these 1989 Proof Great British Sovereign Gold 3-Coin Sets online at Provident Metals, you will receive a coin set that includes three coins in total. The modern Double Sovereign, Sovereign, and Half Sovereign coins are included within this set, each with a special design that departs from the standard Great Britain Sovereign imagery to celebrate the 500^th anniversary of the Tudor sovereign. All three coins are housed together in a box with proof visuals that include frosted design strikes and mirrored fields.

Obverse

The obverse of the coins comes with a distinct portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Styled after the Tudor portraits of the 15^th and 16^th centuries, this effigy shows the Queen seated in front-facing relief on a throne as she wears the Imperial Crown. The inscriptions on this side have a Medieval script and read DEI GRA REG FID DEF and ELIZABETH II. The former is a Latin shorthand for the phrase By the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.

Reverse

On the reverse field of the coins in the 1989 Proof Great Britain Gold 3-Coin Set is a depiction of the modern Royal Arms above the Tudor double rose. The House of Tudor rose combined the white rose of York with the red rose of Lancaster, placing the white rose within the red rose. This design featured on the original Tudor sovereigns with the 15^th-century Royal Arms. These coins have the modern Royal Arms with the Three Lions of England in the first and fourth quadrants, the Lion of Scotland in the second quadrant, and the Harp of Ireland in the third quadrant. Inscriptions on this side include the same script type and read 1489-1989 and ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOLD SOVEREIGN.

History

King Henry VII was the first to issue gold sovereigns, a practice that started in 1489. His original sovereigns were 23-karat gold coins with 95.83% gold content, while his son King Henry VIII lowered the gold content to 22-karat gold, or 91.67% gold. Modern Great Britain Sovereign Gold Coins also feature 22-karat gold with copper as the primary alloy for the remaining metal content of the coins.

Ordering

Provident Metals customer service is available to you at 800-313-3315. We are also available online using our live chat and email address features.