A new world’s first collection of gold sovereigns, the first to be created in honour of the accession of a British monarch, has been released in celebration of the accession of King Charles III. As the nation prepares for the first royal coronation in 70 years, The 2023 King Charles III Accession Sovereign Range released by gold sovereign specialists Hattons of London, will be the first in history to bear the King’s royal cypher.
Significantly, despite being the ninth British monarch in history to have sovereigns bearing his portrait, King Charles III is the first ever to have gold sovereigns to commemorate his accession. The reverse of each coin will feature a new portrait of His Majesty, created by celebrated artist Jody Clark, which in a tradition dating back to the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, will face the opposite way to his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
As well as King Charles’ royal cypher - an interlocking letter ‘C’ and letter ‘R’ for ‘Charles Rex’ inside which are the Roman numerals ‘III’ topped by a crown - coins in the collection will feature the distinctive floral motifs of each of the four nations within the UK. The English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh daffodil and the Irish shamrock represent His Majesty’s visits to each of the home nations upon his accession in September 2022.
Minted in 22 carat gold, the sovereigns are struck in extremely limited numbers. This includes denominations such as the One-Eighth sovereign which will feature the King’s portrait on the reverse, and His Majesty’s royal cypher on the obverse, with English roses on either side to represent England. Only 6,999 have been minted.
The Quarter Sovereign will be the first gold sovereign coin to feature the Scots cypher of King Charles III, with Scottish thistles on each side. Only 1,948 have been minted with this particular design only available as part of limited edition sets including the Fractional Set and Prestige Set.
The range follows hot on the heels of Hattons of London’s first ever King Charles collection, the 2023 King Charles III Greatest Monarchs range, which having been released in February was the fastest selling in the company’s history.
Simon Mellinger, Managing Director of Hattons of London said: “The accession of His Majesty King Charles III is an event of such magnitude, we are delighted to bring to market a collection that we feel truly commemorates the importance of this moment in British history.
“This is the first collection of gold sovereigns to commemorate the accession of a monarch. This is particularly significant as His Majesty is the first British monarch to accede in the digital age, a time in which technology has considerably altered the process of designing, striking and seeking approval for these kinds of coins.
“When the first modern sovereigns were created it would have taken many, many months which is why, until now, we have seen no designs commemorating an accession as it simply wouldn’t have been possible in previous reigns. This is a truly unique range and following the incredible success of our first King Charles range which sold out in record time, we would urge people to act fast to avoid disappointment.”
Prices start at £69, thanks to a special introductory offer which will see The 2023 King Charles III Accession One-Eighth Sovereign available for this reduced price until 31st May 2023.
