Description
Gold sovereigns have been struck by the Royal Mint since the fifteenth century. Indeed the origin of the sovereign can be traced to the reign of Henry VII who issued the first twenty shilling sovereign in 1489. The obverse, which gave rise to the name sovereign, featured a splendid portrait of the enthroned king in full coronation regalia.
Such portraits continued throughout the next century and the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. However shortly after his accession to the throne, James I brought the issue of the sovereign to an end and it was not to reappear for some 200 years, when the coinage was reformed following the war with France.
Re-introduced in 1817, the new coin bore the now famous design of George and the Dragon by Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci. In 1887, to coincide with Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, a new design was approved. Again featuring Pistrucci’s masterpiece on the reverse, the obverse featured the official Jubilee portrait of Queen Victoria, so inspiring the name ‘Jubilee Head’.
SPECIFICATIONS
Year of Issue: 1881
Weight: 7.9881g
Purity: 917/1000 Gold
Diameter: 22.5mm
