2007 Gold Sovereign Bullion Coin

The 2007 sovereign is the first date to use re-engraved dies. Both sides of the coin show many signs of hurried, or sub-standard production, with some small scuffs and radiating striations. These may possibly be caused through under-annealing of the blank planchets before striking. 

For informational purposes, this is The Royal Mint's full explanation of the die change for 2007.

'For the 2007 Sovereign the Royal Mint is using the latest technology, coupled with traditional engraving skills, to recapture the fineness of Pistrucci's early St. George and the dragon from the period of the Neo-Classical revival during the 19th century.

An original hand-engraved design, modified by Pistrucci himself for the Crown Piece of 1818, was scanned into the computer and a large- scale copy was cut in plaster. Elements of the detail were then worked in by hand to ensure that, as far as possible, a faithful rendering of the design was achieved.

The tooling was produced to the required dimensions of the Sovereign and at this size the engravers again completed the finishing touches by hand.

Through this process the intricate details and contours of the composition have been restored so that the sovereign now stands as a sculptured from in a way that Pistrucci himself would have advised.

The 2007 Sovereigns are indeed a tribute to the great masterpiece. Their owners will be taken back almost two centuries to see Pistrucci's St. George and the dragon sovereigns in all their neo-Classical glory.'

Obverse

The obverse of the coin features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. This is the fourth coinage portrait. 

As far as the obverse is concerned, there appears to be no re-engraving. There is however, a considerable loss of definition when compared to previous years. The re-engraving appears to be confined to the reverse side.

Reverse

The coin features the traditional St George & Dragon design on the reverse. This Benedetto Pistrucci design has been used on sovereigns since 1817. During this long period, there have been a considerable number of minor changes to the dies used for the reverse.

On the 2007 coin, the reverse has been completely re-engraved. There was no advance announcement of this from The Royal Mint. 

Changes

Almost all parts of the reverse design are different. The most obvious differences are:-

• Longer, re-engraved tail.
• Longer trailing helmet plumes.
• Lower relief, noticeable or apparent in the centre.
• More distinct, possibly cruder, helmet crest.
• Completely different folds in cloak.
• Thinner gap between horse's neck and reins.
• Different mane to horse.
• Bigger gap between St George and the horse's neck.
• Smaller right hand, with more defined fingers, gap between sword hilt.
• Different end to broken lance (to left of ground).
• Completely different ground.
• Dragon's wings differ.
• George's garter is redefined.
• Smaller BP initials, rather blurred and indistinct. On our photo, they appear to merge to look like a single letter D.
• Dragon's nose, mouth, crest, and claws altered.
• Horse's musclature has been substantially changed, as has George's.
• There is a smaller gap between the border and the main parts of the design.
• The border has been changed, and now looks more like a railway line, as opposed to convex toothed beads. (The obverse border does not match).
• The exergue appears to be taller, as do the date numerals.

Specification