1 Sovereign - Elizabeth II Battle of Britain - Spitfire

The Isle of Man has issued gold sovereigns under royal license since 1973, operating outside the Royal Mint's remit and free to apply its own commemorative designs — a quirk that has made its sovereign series a vehicle for themed issues that the British establishment would never sanction on a standard bullion coin. The 2020 Battle of Britain release coincided with the 80th anniversary of the campaign, fought between July and October 1940.

The Supermarine Spitfire entered the battle with only 19 operational squadrons against a Luftwaffe force nearly three times larger. The RAF's victory owed as much to the Dowding System of radar and ground control as to the aircraft themselves — a fact Churchill's famous speech quietly obscured.