The first ‘old head’ Victoria Sovereign

Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 and so began a reign that would redefine Britain. In 1893 social change continued apace: the Independent Labour Party had its first meeting in Bradford, chaired by Keir Hardie, while the first students entered St Hilda’s College, Oxford, founded for women by Dorothea Beale.

This year-dated gold Sovereign is the first edition to bear the final effigy of Queen Victoria’s reign. The ‘old head’ would be used on British coinage until her death in 1901. Here the portrait is coupled with Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon design. The coin is presented in ‘Very Fine’ condition and recalls the final stages of one of the great eras of British history.