William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, introduced their baby boy to the public on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, one day after his birth. The Royal Mint also just unveiled its official commemorative coin of the Royal Birth, noting that 30% of the allotted mintage sold within the first few hours.
Struck in a proof finish especially for collectors, limited to 10,000 and priced at £80.00, the commemorative 2013 UK £5 Silver Proof Coin uniquely features the sovereign design that is traditionally restricted to gold coins.
"As befits a baby that is destined to be sovereign, we have chosen a design made famous on the most royal of coins, the Sovereign itself," the Royal Mint describes. "St. George and the dragon, instantly recognizable, has been struck in silver for the first time in over 100 years, on a £5 crown-sized coin — beautiful, impressive and very special."
The year ‘2013’ is found below the St. George and dragon design, which was created by Benedetto Pistrucci almost 200 years ago.
Coin obverses show Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Her Majesty the Queen. Surrounding inscriptions read ‘ELIZABETH II’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘REG’, ‘F’ ‘D’ and ‘FIVE POUNDS’.
Pistrucci’s St. George and dragon design first appeared on a silver crown in 1818. It would later make its way onto Sovereigns of Queen Victoria in 1871, according to the Royal Mint. In 1887, the design was once again on silver crowns. They were last minted in the coronation year of Edward VII.
Each £5 silver coin is struck to a purity of .925, weighs 28.28 grams and has a diameter of 38.61mm.
2,013 Gold Sovereigns Struck on Day of Royal Birth
In related coin news, the Royal Mint said they struck just 2,013 of their flagship 22-karat Gold Sovereigns on the day of the Royal Birth, July 22, 2013.
"The Sovereign is perhaps the most royal of coins, created for Henry VII in Tudor times and named for the monarch. As we welcome the future sovereign it is fitting that this majestic coin plays its part in the celebrations," noted the Royal Mint on its website. "On the day of the birth we struck a limited number of Sovereigns — 2,013 to be exact, reflecting the birth year of the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."
The Mint is exclusively making these available to collectors for £800.00.
The special Royal Birth Gold Sovereigns and the Royal Birth 2013 UK £5 Sovereign Silver Proof Coin may be ordered directly from the Royal Mint website at www.royalmint.com or by calling +44 (0)845 60 88 222 (United Kingdom), 1-866-519-7298 (United States) or 1-866-924-0861 (Canada).
