This Sovereign dates from 1882, the year in which Queen Victoria survived her seventh assassination attempt. On 2 March, a disgruntled poet named Roderick Maclean shot at the queen as her carriage left Windsor railway station. He was apparently offended that Queen Victoria refused to read one of his poems. Two schoolboys from Eton College struck Roderick Maclean with their umbrellas until a policeman arrived to take him away.

Stuck in 22 carat gold, it features Queen Victoria’s Young Head portrait on the obverse, which was her favourite portrait for coinage. The queen liked the design so much that it was struck on coins for 47 years. The reverse features Benedetto Pistrucci’s iconic St George and the dragon, one of the most popular numismatic designs.