5 Pounds - George IV

The 1826 five-pound piece — more properly a five-sovereign or "quintuple sovereign" — was struck as a proof for the new coinage series George IV ordered following his coronation-era currency reforms. The Royal Mint had just relocated from the Tower of London to Tower Hill in 1810, and by 1826 was equipped with Boulton's steam-powered presses; virtually no examples of this date were intended for circulation. William Wyon engraved the dies, working under Benedetto Pistrucci's long shadow at the Mint.

Issued quantities were minuscule — produced primarily for presentation sets and the King's personal distribution.