The English Sovereign, the country's first coin to be valued at one pound, was originally struck by its monarchs in the 16th century - the size and fineness often being altered over the ensuing centuries. After the costs of the Napoleonic wars caused the Re-coinage of Great Britain, William Wellesley Pole (elder brother of the Duke of Wellington) was appointed Master of the Mint in 1812, with a mandate to reform the Royal Mint of England. The Italian sculptor Benedetto Pistrucci came to London early in 1816 - his talent opening the doors of the capital's elite. Among them was a certain Lady Spencer, who showed Pistrucci a model in wax of Saint George and the Dragon by Nathaniel Marchant, before commissioning him to reproduce it in the Greek style as part of her husband's regalia as a Knight of the Garter. The model for the saint was an Italian waiter at Brunet's Hotel in Leicester Square, where Pistrucci had stayed after coming to London. William Wellesley Pole hired the artist to create models for the new coinage he had planned, who suggested to Pole that an appropriate subject for the ‘king of all coins’ would be Saint George. Initially The Royal Mint's engravers were not able to successfully reproduce Pistrucci's imagery in steel, and the sculptor undertook the engraving of the dies himself. Once minted, the classic 22-carat gold Sovereign was re-introduced into British coinage and the rest is history. Now, for the first time in its 1,000-year history, The Royal Mint has struck a silver Proof edition of The Sovereign for new and experienced collectors to obtain. Struck in 999 fine silver to Proof standard, this new edition of The Sovereign is an exact replica in diameter and weight to its original gold counterpart. The reverse of the coin fittingly features Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon, a design that has become synonymous with The Sovereign, whilst the obverse bears the official coinage portrait of His Majesty King Charles III. Thinking of becoming a coin collector? There’s no better place to start than with a rare and unique silver sovereign that doesn’t cost anywhere like a million pounds. Call one of our Senior Coin Experts today on 02 9841 3324 to begin your journey into the wonderful world of rare, scarce and unique coin collecting.