On 28 October 1489, Henry VII gave his Royal Assent to produce a ‘new money of gold’, which resulted in a new gold coin named the sovereign. The next Tudor monarch was Henry VIII, who was known for many things during his reign, including claiming religious independence from Rome and establishing himself as the ‘Supreme Head of the Church of England’. In 1526, the king instructed Cardinal Wolsey, the Lord Chancellor, to reform the values of English coins, a historic decision that marked the beginning of the use of 22 carat gold. Half a millennium later, The Sovereign continues to be struck in 22 carat gold, the enduring standard established during the reign of one of Britain’s most notorious monarchs.

In 1817, the coin was revived and this modern Sovereign featured a reverse design created by Benedetto Pistrucci that has become synonymous with the coin. For 2026, Pistrucci’s iconic design returns to Proof editions of The Sovereign from The Royal Mint. The obverse of each 2026-dated coin in the collection also features the official coinage portrait of His Majesty King Charles III, designed by Martin Jennings.