Owner Comments:
GT.BRITAIN, VICTORIA Jubilee head, GOLD PROOF SOVEREIGN 1887
(S 3866B).
1887 was the Jubilee year for the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession.
OBVERSE: Jubilee tall veiled bust left with older features, veil with two rows of crenellations, with small Imperial crown, large fleurs inside, top cross on field within the border, wearing 13 pearl necklace, brooch at front with relief jewel, half a garter star at base of bust under sash, decorated border to dress bust, j.e.b. on edge of truncation into field with stops, angled J, repositioned second legend closer to crown, two pearl drop ear ring, victoria d:g: britt: reg: f: d:, finely toothed border within twin linear concentric circles and raised rim both sides, outer rim blends with teeth.
REVERSE: The Pistrucci's design of St George slaying dragon with sword, extra mane hair above hand holding rein, horse with short tail, three strand end to tail, two spurs of extra hair on curve of tail, dragon with three claws to left and three to right foreleg , trace of fourth claw, all attached, broken lance on ground-line to left, wwp in relief under lance, date in exergue, tiny B.P to upper right,
DESIGNER: Joseph Edwar Boehm.
DIAMETER: 22.05mm.
WEIGHT: 7.998 g.
FINENESS: 22 carat.
MILLESIMAL FINENESS: 916.66.
EDGE: Milled.
MINTAGE: 797.
VICTORIA, 1887 PROOF SOVEREIGN
English Silver Coinage quotes a figure of 797 Proof Sets with gold issued in 1887, no doubt Sovereigns and other coins from the set would have been available singly too, but the total issue of proof Sovereigns would be unlikely to exceed 1000 pieces as an educated guess. The above proof Sovereign sets the standard description for the Jubilee type coinage. There are only really three major varieties in this coinage. Firstly the position of the obverse legend of which this proof is the so-called second type with the first half of the legend appearing closer to the crown on the Queen’s head. The first type has the legend just over a millimetre further away. The designer’s initials on the truncation are the other area of variety on the obverse. The normal size initials always seem to have an angled letter J where the bottom is angled horizontally off the upright vertical. The smaller designer initials tend always to have a hooked J as you would expect. These initials can be differently arranged on the truncation of the bust, whether closer or spread and in line or in an arc, they can differ more on the Australian series coins. The other difference is the horse’s tail on the reverse, which becomes longer with different hair strand arrangements on some coins from 1891.
The Jubilee Style Bust Coinage For the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria preparations for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 were underway years in advance. The Queen herself had first signified that she was willing for a change in portrait on the coinage as she had been most impressed by a portrait medal of her effigy by Mr Joseph Edgar Boehm RA (6 July 1834 - 12 December 1890) modelled from life. A large plaster model was prepared by Boehm in his studio, and from this metal copies were taken and then reduced for coinage. The first proposed coinage patterns appear from 1880 in base metals and silver, the Queen having sat for her portrait with Boehm in February of that year. The resulting currency coinage produced for 1887 included a commemorative gold Five Pound and Two Pound coin issued together for the first time since 1826. There were sets available in various guises officially for sale as proof or currency quality, with cases costing extra. The Jubilee coinage also marks for the first time in the British currency coinage the die axis being upright (en médaille). All die axes previously on coinage were of the inverted orientation and upright axis was reserved for medals or patterns. The obverse legend appears slightly more abbreviated than the last young head issue too. Apart from this, and the obvious bust change, the coinage is very similar to the previous young head St George type with a milled edge.
QUEEN VICTORIA
The Reign of Queen Victoria (House of Hanover) : 1837-1901
Born: 24 May 1819.
Accession: 20 June 1837.
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840.
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838.
Children: four sons, five daughters.
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81
1887 GOLD SOVEREIGN PF 66 ULTRA CAMEO
Extraordinary specimen of superb quality.
Beautiful bright black and white CAMEO with undisturbed frosty devices contrasting deeply mirrored, haze free, fields. Gorgious eye appeal. Surely one of the finest and prettiest proof sovereigns in existence.
NGC pop shows 2-66 designated PF Ultra Cameo and only 1-67, with none graded higher.