![George III, Gold Sovereign, 1817 [ECM-198] - Image 2](https://colonialcoins.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ECM-198.jpg)
Description
George III of the House of Hanover, King of the United Kingdom 1760-1820 AD, Gold Sovereign (7.96g, 22mm), 1817, Royal mint London. Obverse: Laureate head of King George III facing to the right, date below, legend surrounds, “GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D:”. Reverse: Saint George, wearing plumed helmet and billowing cloak, mounted atop his horse which rears right above a fallen dragon, he wields a broken lance, the end remains embedded and the remaining shaft rests to the left on the exergual ground-line above Engraver’s initials ‘B.P’ (Benedetto Pistrucci) incuse, buckled garter bearing the motto “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE” surrounds, mint master’s initials ‘wwp’ (William Wellesley Pole) on buckle. Marsh-1; S-3785. Mintage of 3,235,239. An admirable offering of the ever popular first date sovereign, evenly worn and visually attractive, some typical light marks for the grade, details Very Fine.
The obverse Latin legend reads “Geōrgius Tertius, Deī Grātiā, Britanniārum Rēx, Fideī Dēfēnsor”, with an English translation of “George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of the British People, Defender of the Faith”. The reverse legend on the shield garter is the motto of the British chivalric Order of the Garter and is stated in full in Middle French / Anglo-Norman as “honi soit qui mal y pense”, with an English meaning of “shame on anyone who thinks evil of it”.
