Mythic: a key date.
2 Pounds - George III Pattern (1820)
"Double sovereign"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1820 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 60 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 15.900g · 0.4686 t oz |
| Diameter | 28.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LX |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Rev. artist | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around, date below.
GEORGIUS III D G BRITANNIAR REX F D
St. George on horseback slaying the dragon right,
2 Pounds - George III Pattern market value
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Affiliate2 Pounds - George III Pattern price history
Daily limit reached2 Pounds - George III Pattern value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-61 | £30,195.52 🔒 | £30,195.52 (1) | – | £30,195.52 – £30,195.52 | 0 | 1 | 01-05-2025 | |
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About the 1820 2 Pounds - George III Pattern
The 1820 2 Pounds - George III Pattern is a collector 2 pounds coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.9g and measures 28mm across. Reverse design: St. George on horseback slaying the dragon right,.
60 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1820 2 Pounds - George III Pattern worth?
The 1820 2 Pounds - George III Pattern has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £30,196 in PR-61, the median of its verified sales. Its gold content is worth about £1,404 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Was the 1820 double sovereign ever circulated?
No. Wikipedia says the 1820 issue never entered circulation and is regarded as a pattern. The Royal Mint Museum records that the dies were not finished before George III died in January 1820, and that proof specimens were offered to a select group of institutions and people in December 1821.
How many 1820 double sovereigns were made?
About 60, according to Wikipedia, which says a total of 60 pieces are reported to have been struck and cites Lobel's Coincraft catalogue. The Royal Mint has not published a figure, so treat it as a reported number.
What does the edge of the 1820 £2 say?
DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LX, meaning an ornament and a safeguard, in the sixtieth year of the reign. The Royal Mint Museum's example has the edge lettering raised rather than incuse.
Who designed the 1820 £2 coin?
Benedetto Pistrucci designed both sides. The bust of George III faces right, and the reverse is his St George and the dragon, first used on the sovereign of 1817, here shown without the Garter and without any legend or date.
How do I identify the 1820 2 Pounds - George III Pattern?
Check the weight 15.9g and diameter 28mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Great Recoinage gave Britain a new gold standard. Wikipedia records that a Privy Council committee recommended gold coins of ten shillings, one pound, two pounds and five pounds, and the Prince Regent accepted this on 3 August 1816. The sovereign and half sovereign followed in 1817, but the two larger pieces were not struck at first; no gold coin above a guinea had been made for circulation since 1754.
In December 1819 the Master of the Mint, William Wellesley-Pole, told Benedetto Pistrucci to prepare dies for the £2 and £5. George III died in January 1820 before they were finished. The Royal Mint Museum says the work was too far advanced to waste, so a few proofs were made, and in December 1821 the Mint offered proof specimens of both coins to a select group of institutions and people. Wikipedia reports a total of 60 double sovereigns struck.
Pistrucci designed both sides. The obverse shows a bust of George III facing right with GEORGIUS III D G BRITANNIAR REX F D (George III, by the Grace of God King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith) and the date.
The reverse is Pistrucci's St George and the dragon, first used on the sovereign of 1817 within a Garter. Here it fills the field with no legend or date, with his initials at the lower right. The edge reads DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LX, an ornament and a safeguard in the sixtieth year of the reign. The Royal Mint Museum's example weighs 15.98 g and has raised edge lettering.
Collecting notes
Every genuine example is a proof with the lettered edge, and none circulated. The Royal Mint Museum also keeps a gilt obverse impression with a plain edge (RMM 1169), so a gilt or plain-edged piece is not one of the gold proofs offered in 1821. The companion 1820 pattern £5 was offered at the same time.
Pistrucci's reverse was used again on the first double sovereign issued for circulation, the George IV £2 of 1823, with a new portrait by Jean Baptiste Merlen.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- George III, Royal Mint Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Double sovereign, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III pattern two pounds, 1820 (RMM 1167), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III two pounds obverse impression, 1820 (RMM 1169), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1820 5 pounds, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
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