In 1897, for the very first time, the British people witnessed a Diamond Jubilee. A frailer figure than the one who appeared at the Golden Jubilee celebrations ten years previously, Queen Victoria was confined to her state coach by painful arthritis during the six-mile royal procession. But with the best of British on show, bolstered by colonial forces, the jubilee celebrations were still a mighty statement of imperial power.

This 1897 gold Sovereign recalls the high-water mark of Empire when the pink of British territories dominated the map. This edition bears the final effigy of Queen Victoria’s reign – the ‘old head’ used on coinage until her death in 1901 – coupled with Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic St George and the dragon design. This coin is presented in ‘Very Fine’ condition and recalls the ceremony of one of the great occasions of state.