Silver Proof Pound Coin - England

The "pound sterling" (often just rendered as "pound") has long been the standard unit of currency for the United Kingdom. In June of 1983, the reigning monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, authorized the minting of one-pound coins with different designs on the reverse to honor the constituent sections of the Kingdom. I have already shared my Silver Proof Pound Coin - Northern Ireland and now share this one honoring England.

Coins that were intended for circulation in everyday life were struck on a nickel-brass planchet, but this is a Sterling Silver version (92.5% silver) intended for collectors. The enclosed Certificate of Authenticity card indicates that a limited quantity of 50,000 Sterling Silver coins were produced.

NOTE: This coin is a "proof" quality, which means it has a very shiny silver background, polished like a mirror, with a matte design on it. It only appears to have a brownish background because it is reflecting the color of my cellphone's case (which is actually rose-gold pink, but appears brown in the lighting). This helps the overall design to show in the photo, so I did not try to correct for it!

The reverse of this coin features a lovely oak tree to symbolize England, with the royal diadem encircling the tree's trunk, and the coin's denomination of "ONE POUND" beneath.

The obverse of the coin features a beautiful portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf. To the right of the portrait is "D.G. REG. F.D." for "Dei Gratia Regina, Fidei Defensor" which means "Queen, by the grace of God, and Defender of the Faith" along with the date of minting.

This piece is only 9.5 grams, but cost about what a full ounce of silver would run, because of the "proof" grade, which is probably still a good price. And, it came nicely-presented in a protective plastic capsule and in a velveteen-lined box with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Royal Mint.