1912 Gold Sovereign Coin Georgivs V D.G. Britt

A collectable gold full sovereign of king George the Fifth, dated 1912. This coin shows a tiny ’S’ mint mark indicating that it was struck at the Sydney Mint. The mint mark is located to the reverse on the ground beneath the cowering dragon, crushed beneath the hooves of a horse ridden by Saint George. This instantly recognisable design by Benedetto Pistrucci was crafted for the first modern Sovereigns, issued in 1817. The obverse shows a bare head portrait of George V, facing left by the engraver Edgar Bertram Mackennal, the Australian sculptor and medallist, much admired by King George. George V came to the throne in May 1910 on the death of his father, Edward VII, and was crowned in June 1911, the same year his first Sovereigns were struck in the UK and Australia. The Sydney Mint - opened in 1854 - would close in 1927 though other Australian branch mints in Melbourne and Perth would continue to operate.