1888 Gold Sovereign Coin Queen Victoria Jubilee Head Melbourne

The 1888 Sovereign is a British gold coin, minted by the Royal Mint. The weight of the coin is 7.98 grams with a fineness of 916.7 (22 carat gold), this means it contains 7.3224 grams of pure gold. The diameter of the coin is 22 mm. The Sovereigns have a face value of 1 Pound and are legal tender in the UK.

The coin has the mintmark M, indicating it was struck by The Royal Mint in Melbourne, Australia.

The obverse of the Queen Victoria 1888 Gold Sovereign depicts the jubilee head portrait, designed by Joseph Edgar Boehm. The coin is called a ‘jubilee’ because it commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Queen's reign. This effigy of Queen Victoria shows her profile facing left, wearing the small imperial crown. It is the second official portrait of Queen Victoria to be used on coins minted by the Royal Mint. The sculptor's initials, ‘J.E.B.,’ are visible at the bottom of the head.

The inscription on the coin reads 'VICTORIA D : G : BRITT : REG : F : D :'.

The reverse of the 1888 Gold Sovereign features the traditional design of Saint George and the dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci, as well as the sculptor's initials B.P. and the year of issue.