Obverse and reverse by Bernard Sindall, with his obverse based on his 1977 medal struck for the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The 1989 was a one-year issue to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first-ever hammered gold Sovereign of 1489 under the reign of Henry VII. It features Queen Elizabeth II seated on King Edwards Coronation throne and the stunning double Tudor Rose on the coin’s reverse – both in homage to that original coin from 1489.

It’s a coin of many first, including…

The first commemorative Sovereign in history

1st Sovereign reverse change in Queen Elizabeth II’s reign

1st time in over 100 years that a design other than Saint George slaying the Dragon appeared on a Sovereign reverse

And the 1st time that the word Sovereign has featured

Independently graded by the NGC as PF69, which means it is virtually fully struck with minuscule imperfections.