1937 Sovereign – Edward VIII Pattern

The 1937 Sovereign - Edward VIII Pattern

Edward VIII became King on the death of his father, George V, on 20 January 1936. But by his own decision his reign lasted only 326 days and abdicated on 11 December 1936 in order to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson.

No coins were ever released to the public. Patterns were made and trial sets were produced but no production coins. They were dated 1937 as the production coins were due to be released on 1st January 1937.

The Obverse shows a portrait of King Edward VIII. One thing which is unexpected was that Edward’s portrait faced left. The tradition is that monarch’s heads alternate facing right and left. George V faced left so Edward VIII should face right. Even George VI assumed the tradition had been maintained as his too faced left.

This anomaly was at the request of the Edward himself; he decided that his left side was more flattering as it showed the parting of his hair. He also chose the portrait by Humphrey Paget over that of William McMillan.

For more about this coin see 1937 Edward VIII Gold Sovereign Sells for £1 million – and here’s Why.

The Reverse shows Benedetto Pistrucci’s famous portrayal of St George and the dragon.

Images used by permission of The Royal Mint

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