The Perth Mint was opened in 1899 as a branch of Britain’s Royal Mint to make sovereigns from Western Australian gold. The first coin to be struck, which is on permanent display in The Perth Mint’s gold exhibition, was one of 106 million sovereigns made in the years to 1931. Each coin featured Benedetto Pistrucci’s classical St George and the dragon reverse design, and a distinguishing ‘P’ mintmark.  

According to tradition, St George was a Greek-born Roman guard and Christian martyr. Myths grew up around him during the Middle Ages, including an enduring legend in which he saves a princess from a malevolent dragon. Representing courage and the victory of good over evil, St George embodied the qualities of knighthood in medieval chivalry, and was invoked to inspire valour on the battlefield and national pride.

This modern collectable re-imagines the famous design. The new work portrays a naked warrior on horseback brandishing a sword above a dragon. The image appears within a decorative circle of raised dots, together with the inscription ‘AUSTRALIA’, ‘2026’ and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. The design also features a privy mark with the number ‘100’, commemorating what would have been the 100th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.