Fifth Release in The Royal Mint’s Great Engravers Series
Proofs Honoring Benedetto Pistrucci’s Iconic St. George & the Dragon Design,
In Perfect Condition

With its unrivalled legacy as the original maker of British coins, The Royal Mint (TRM) offers the next release in The Great Engravers series which pays homage to career masterpieces belonging to the mint’s most historic engravers. Following three releases honoring TRM Chief Engraver William Wyon, and a release paying tribute to former TRM Chief Engraver, Thomas Simon, comes this fifth release—an homage to the abrasive genius of Benedetto Pistrucci, who would have been officially named as TRM’s Chief Engraver had he been born in Great Britain rather than Rome, Italy, and who eventually achieved the title of TRM Chief Medalist. An ambitious but controversial character, Pistrucci stoked rivalries, survived a stabbing and became one of the most renowned artists to ever work on British coinage.

The Great Engravers—Who Was Benedetto Pistrucci?
Pistrucci was born on May 29, 1783. His early talent in art and sculpture led him to study at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome, after which he gained recognition for his skills as an engraver and sculptor. Arriving in England in 1815 at the invitation of William Wellesley-Pole, the Master of the Mint, Pistrucci was quickly commissioned to provide portrait models of King George III for new coinage. A skilled gem engraver, Pistrucci soon produced a series of stunning designs including the St. George and the dragon motif for the Sovereigns of 1817, the first modern sovereigns. When this design was subsequently adapted for the 1818 crown, the result is acknowledged as one of the world’s most beautiful coins.

Pistrucci's St. George is nude but for a helmet and cloak, reminiscent of an ancient Greek warrior, in a powerful portrayal that sees St. George triumphing over a beast, which is trampled beneath his horses' hooves. It is said that Pistrucci used a hotel waiter to pose as England's Patron Saint for this iconic engraving. The design was finally approved on September 14, 1818, with the first coins appearing a month later. The design was also used on Sovereigns of King George IV, Queen Victoria and every subsequent British monarch.

For a fee of 100 Guineas (£105 or $133.45), Pistrucci created a coin regarded by many as the most beautiful ever produced. 

St. George & the Dragon with a Gartered Crown
Here, painstakingly remastered using traditional techniques, modern technology breathes new life into Pistrucci’s spectacular St. George and the dragon design, resulting in a numismatic masterpiece. The design features St. George on horseback, engaged with a dragon. His right hand clutches a short sword, and his left hand clutches his horse’s reigns as it rears back. He wears a plumed helmet and cloak which billows behind him. Below him lies the dragon, impaled by St. George’s now broken spear.

Further, an iconic garter encircles the design, and the original Latin edge inscription, “DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LVIII”, which translates as “An Ornament and a Safeguard in the 58th Year of the Reign”, has been updated here to reflect the year of reign for the current British monarch, King Charles III—whose first official definitive portrait by Martin Jennings appears on the obverse. Reverse inscriptions include only the artist’s name, “PISTRUCCI”, the abbreviate for the Latin motto of the Order of the Garter “HONI – SOIT – QUI – MAL – Y – PENSE” on the garter (translated – “Shame on him who thinks evil of it”), and the year of issue, “2024.”

2023 Great Britain Five-Ounce Silver Great Engravers Pistrucci Crown Proof PF70 FR

• Five Ounces of 99.9% Fine Silver

   

• £10 Great Britain Legal Tender

   

• Flawless PF70 Grade by NGC

   

• NGC-Certified as First Releases 

   

• Only 460 Authorized for Release Worldwide

   

• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Two-Ounce Silver Great Engravers Pistrucci Crown Proof PF70 FDI

• Two Ounces of 99.9% Fine Silver

   

• £5 Great Britain Legal Tender

   

• Flawless PF70 Grade by NGC

   

• NGC-Certified as First Day of Issue 

   

• Only 3,060 Authorized for Release Worldwide

   

• Limited Availability