This Sovereign was struck in 1884, the year that the first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary was published, Mark Twain released Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the UK, Dow Jones launched the world’s first stock index, and British Parliament established the Third Reform Act, which extended the vote to agricultural voters.

1884 was a difficult year for Queen Victoria who tragically lost her eighth and youngest child, Prince Leopold. On 27 March, Prince Leopold, who suffered from haemophilia, fell and hit his head. He died of a brain haemorrhage the next day at the age of 30.

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.