United Kingdom | |
| Value | £2 |
|---|---|
| Mass | 15.976 g |
| Diameter | 28.40 mm |
| Composition | .917 gold (22 carat) |
| Gold | 0.4708 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1820, 1823–1826, 1831, 1887, 1893, 1902, 1911, 1937, 1953, 1980, 1982–1983, 1985, 1987–1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002–present |
| Mint marks | S (1887 and 1902 only) |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Reigning British monarch (Elizabeth II shown) |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Saint George and the Dragon |
| Designer | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Design date | 1817 (first used on double sovereign in 1820) |
The double sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom with a nominal value of two pounds sterling (£2). Rarely issued in the first century and a half after its debut in 1820, it never had a significant presence in circulation. It is now a collector and bullion coin, and has been struck most years since 1980. It features the reigning monarch on its obverse and, most often, Benedetto Pistrucci's depiction of Saint George and the Dragon on the reverse.
The double sovereign was first minted in 1820 and depicted George III, but this issue never entered circulation, instead being considered a pattern coin. In the following century and a half, it was most often issued to mark the beginning of a new reign, or the institution of a new coinage portrait of the reigning monarch. These were mostly proof coins; the denomination was issued for circulation in only four years. Few examples that are worn from commercial use can be found.
Since 1980, the double sovereign has been sold as a collector's coin by the Royal Mint. In some years it was not issued and the Royal Mint instead placed gold versions of the commemorative £2 piece in the gold proof sets.
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