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1 Sovereign - Edward VIII Pattern
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Sovereign |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Uncrowned, bare-headed left-facing effigy of King Edward VIII, modelled in high relief with finely detailed hair. The portrait, designed by Thomas Humphrey Paget, departs from royal tradition by facing left rather than the conventional right. The engraver's initials 'HP' appear beneath the truncation of the neck. The circular Latin legend reads 'EDWARDVS VIII D:G: BR: OMN: REX F:D: IND: IMP.' disposed around the periphery of the field. The coin exhibits a deeply mirrored proof finish characteristic of Royal Mint pattern strikings. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears Benedetto Pistrucci's celebrated and enduring design of Saint George, depicted as a nude warrior wearing a crested helmet, mounted on a rearing horse and slaying the dragon with a broken sword. The dragon writhes beneath the horse's hooves in the lower field. Pistrucci's initials 'B.P.' appear to the right of the dragon. The date '1937' is prominently displayed in the exergue below the central design, with a milled border encircling the entire composition. |
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| Additional information |
Edward VIII abdicated in December 1936, before any currency bearing his effigy entered circulation. The Royal Mint had already prepared pattern pieces for the expected coinage, and this sovereign is among those — struck in 1937 for a reign that had already ended. What makes it numismatically pointed is the obverse orientation: Edward insisted on facing left, breaking the alternating-direction convention followed by every monarch since Victoria. No subsequent sovereign has broken that convention since.