Sovereign Queen Victoria Jubilee Head Gold Coin | 1887-1893

Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893 — short 6-year mintage marking the queen's 50-year reign jubilee

The Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893 gold coin is a historic Royal Mint Full Sovereign with a gross mass of 7.98805 g, a gold mass of 7.32238 g, a fineness of 916.7/1000 (Crown Gold 22 carat), a 22.05 mm diameter and a 1 GBP face value as legal tender of the United Kingdom. The 1887 „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm remained in use exceptionally briefly — only 6 years (1887-1893) — due to widespread public dissatisfaction and artistic criticism, making the Jubilee the shortest series of Victoria Sovereigns and a notable episode in the history of Royal Mint portraiture. The coin is VAT-exempt in the EU as a legal-tender coin 916.7 struck after 1800, holds LBMA accreditation and CGT-free status for UK tax residents.

Technical specification

Why this Sovereign earns a place in your stack

• Short 6-year mintage (1887-1893): the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee was withdrawn after only 6 years in favour of the Brock „Old Head" portrait — low supply relative to the 49-year Young Head and 22-year George V mintage makes the Jubilee a clearly rarer Victoria Sovereign series.
• Golden Jubilee 50-year reign (1837-1887): the Jubilee Sovereign commemorates the 50-year anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign — Royal Mint introduced the new „Jubilee Head" portrait specifically for this anniversary, ending the 49-year dominance of William Wyon's Young Head.
• Unpopular Boehm portrait as a story of artistic controversy: the „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm was widely criticised for the small crown size and disproportion, contributing to the rapid withdrawal of the series — an unusual element in Royal Mint history, where portraits typically run for decades.
• CGT-free for UK tax residents: all British Sovereigns hold Capital Gains Tax exempt status for UK tax residents — Victoria Jubilee as 1 GBP legal tender qualifies fully for this tax preference.
• VAT-exempt in the EU as a legal-tender coin: fineness 916.7 above 900, strike after 1800 (1887+) and United Kingdom legal-tender status meet all VAT exemption criteria under Polish VAT Act Art. 122 and EU Directive 2006/112/EC Art. 344.

History of the Jubilee portrait — the 1887 artistic controversy

The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign was celebrated solemnly across the British Empire in 1887 — the 50-year anniversary of Victoria's accession (June 1837) coincided with the apex of British power and with the need to refresh the official monarch portraits used for 49 years (William Wyon's Young Head dated from 1838). Royal Mint commissioned the new portrait design from sculptor Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890), a known author of sculptures and medals of the Victorian era.

Joseph Edgar Boehm designed the „Jubilee Head" portrait showing a mature Victoria at age 68, with a miniature Imperial State Crown above her veil. The choice of small crown size proved an artistic catastrophe — critics raised that the crown looked disproportionate to the queen's head, „pasted on" rather than naturally placed. Caricaturists quickly used this motif in the satirical press, and the public widely criticised the new portrait as unworthy of the monarch's majesty.

Despite the criticism, Royal Mint continued the Jubilee Head Sovereign mintage for 6 years (1887-1893) — long enough to strike significant volumes, but significantly shorter than all other Sovereign portraits. In 1893 it was decided to replace the Jubilee with the „Old Head" / „Veiled Head" portrait by Thomas Brock, in which the crown was replaced by the traditional widow's veil (Victoria wore black mourning for Prince Albert until her death in 1901).

The short Jubilee Head mintage makes the Sovereign 1887-1893 today a significant element of Victoria collections — particularly in colonial mint variants (Sydney, Melbourne) and the 1893 vintage (last year), where mintages were lower than typical. Jubilee Head specimens in UNC and Proof condition achieve significant collector premiums due to the „artistic controversy" status and short market availability in the 19th century.

Royal Mint holds LBMA Good Delivery accreditation since 1750 — the oldest active LBMA status among mints and refineries producing gold bullion. The mint operates from 1968 at the Llantrisant site (Wales), where it continues Sovereign production in cooperation with the LBMA under strict quality and Crown Gold 916.7 alloy-purity audit.

Obverse — Victoria „Jubilee Head" by Joseph Edgar Boehm (1887)

The obverse of the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893 features the „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm from 1887 — Victoria at age 68, with a miniature Imperial State Crown placed above her veil. The portrait conveys the queen's maturity and references her status as Empress of India (from 1876 after the Indian proclamation).

Around the portrait are classic Latin inscriptions VICTORIA D G BRITT REG F D (Victoria by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britons, Defender of the Faith). Some variants also include the addition IND IMP (Indiae Imperator — Emperor/Empress of India), granted to Victoria in 1876. The strike year is placed in the exergue below the portrait or on the reverse (depending on mint and vintage).

Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) — Austrian sculptor born in Vienna, naturalised Briton — was personal sculptor to Queen Victoria and author of numerous public sculptures and monuments in the United Kingdom (including the Wellington monument at Hyde Park Corner). Despite earlier successes, Victoria's Jubilee Head portrait is regarded as his most controversial work — Boehm himself never spoke publicly about the criticism, but his early death in 1890 (3 years after the portrait introduction) spared him observing the full withdrawal of his work in 1893.

Reverse — St. George slaying the dragon (Pistrucci 1817)

The reverse of the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893 shows the classic motif of St. George slaying the dragon in the 1817 Benedetto Pistrucci design — the saint nude on horseback in classical sculpture style, lance raised to deliver the fatal strike on the dragon lying under the horse's hooves. Unlike Victoria Young Head (where a Shield variant also existed), the Jubilee consistently used only the Pistrucci reverse — Royal Mint abandoned the Shield motif after 1887.

The Pistrucci motif symbolises the triumph of good over evil and references Christian mythology (the legend of St. George and the dragon from Cappadocia) and the aesthetics of classical Greek and Roman sculpture. Pistrucci modelled the composition on Hellenistic sculpture, which explains the nude figure of the saint (Greek heroes were traditionally nude in classical art) — an element that raised religious controversies in the 19th century but was retained as the Royal Mint signature.

Benedetto Pistrucci (1783-1855) — chief engraver of the Royal Mint from 1828 to 1855 — also designed the famous Waterloo Medal commemorating the victory over Napoleon (the project took 30 years and was never fully realised in the artist's lifetime). The 1817 St. George motif remains to this day the Sovereign reverse across all vintages from Victoria Young Head to Charles III 2026.

What to check when buying

Inspect the preservation condition of the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee — Crown Gold 22 carat (916.7) is harder than .9999 and less prone to scratching, but specimens from 130 years of history (1887-1893+) often show circulation marks. Preservation condition (VF, EF, AU, UNC) significantly affects collector premium — specimens in higher conditions with legible Boehm miniature crown achieve higher prices than specimens with worn portrait details.

The premium on the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee is often higher than on Young Head and Old Head — typically 10-20% in the European retail segment — due to the short 6-year strike period (the shortest in Victoria Sovereign history). Rare colonial variants (Sydney 1887, Melbourne 1893) and the 1893 vintage (last year before the Old Head introduction) achieve clearly higher premiums, sometimes 30-50% over spot for colonial mints in UNC condition.

CGT-free status applies to all British Sovereigns — Victoria Jubilee as legal tender of the United Kingdom (1 GBP face value) qualifies for the Capital Gains Tax exemption for UK tax residents, regardless of strike vintage. This status distinguishes Sovereigns from neutral bullion coins (Krugerrand, Maple Leaf, Lunar), which are not CGT-free in the UK.

Check the strike mint — Victoria Jubilee Head was struck at the main Royal Mint in London (no mintmark) and at the colonial mints Sydney (S) and Melbourne (M). The mintmark is usually placed below the St. George motif on the reverse. The 1893 vintage with Sydney variant is often the rarest of all Jubilee variants due to the very short strike period of this issue.

Why GoldInvest24

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Comparison of 5 Sovereign types — from Victoria to Charles III

See the full category of gold bullion coins available at GoldInvest24.

FAQ — common questions about the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893

What is the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893?

The Sovereign Victoria Jubilee 1887-1893 is a historic Royal Mint Full Sovereign with 7.32238 g of gold, fineness 916.7 (Crown Gold 22 carat), 22.05 mm diameter and 1 GBP face value. The „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm commemorates Victoria's 50-year reign jubilee (Golden Jubilee 1887). The mintage ran exceptionally briefly — only 6 years (1887-1893) — due to widespread criticism of the portrait (small crown above the veil was seen as disproportionate). Reverse: Pistrucci's St. George (1817).

What is the technical specification of the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee?

Gross mass 7.98805 g, gold mass 7.32238 g, fineness 916.7/1000 (Crown Gold 22 carat, alloy Au 91.67% + Cu 8.33%), diameter 22.05 mm, thickness approx. 1.52 mm, face value 1 GBP. Obverse: Victoria „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm with miniature Imperial State Crown above the veil. Reverse: St. George slaying the dragon in the classic Pistrucci 1817 design.

Why was the Jubilee Head portrait so criticised?

The „Jubilee Head" portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm was widely criticised for the small Imperial State Crown size, which looked disproportionate to the queen's head — „pasted on" rather than naturally placed. Caricaturists used this motif in the satirical press, and the public criticised the portrait as unworthy of the monarch's majesty. Royal Mint abandoned the Jubilee Head in 1893 in favour of Thomas Brock's „Old Head" — with widow's veil and no crown.

How does Victoria Jubilee differ from Young Head, Old Head and Edward VII?

Victoria Jubilee (1887-1893) — short 6-year mintage, Boehm portrait with miniature crown. Victoria Young Head (1838-1887) — 49 years, Wyon portrait of the 19-year-old queen. Victoria Old Head / Veiled Head (1893-1901) — 8 years, Brock portrait with veil (no crown). Edward VII (1902-1910) — 9 years, De Saulles portrait. All have identical Full Sovereign specifications and the same Pistrucci reverse.

For whom is the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee a practical choice?

For collectors of Victoria coins building a set of the three main portraits (Young Head, Jubilee, Old Head), for those valuing the history of 19th-century Royal Mint artistic controversy, and for UK tax residents using the CGT-free status. The short 6-year strike period means the Jubilee achieves a clearly higher collector premium (10-20%) than Elizabeth II Mix Years Sovereigns (5-9%) — particularly colonial variants and the 1893 vintage.

What is the LBMA, VAT, CGT and IRA status of the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee?

LBMA Good Delivery — YES (Royal Mint holds the status since 1750, the oldest active). VAT in the EU — EXEMPT (legal-tender coin, fineness 916.7 above 900, struck after 1800 — meets the Polish VAT Act Art. 122 and EU Directive 2006/112/EC Art. 344 criteria). CGT-free in the United Kingdom — YES (British legal tender Sovereign). IRA-eligible in the USA — NO.

How do I buy the Sovereign Victoria Jubilee at GoldInvest24?

Place an order in our shop with access to the gold bullion coins category, the full range of Royal Mint Sovereigns (Victoria Young Head, Jubilee, Old Head, Edward VII, George V, Elizabeth II, Charles III) and the offer of LBMA mints. Check the current gold quotes to compare the premium against the current spot price. Technical descriptions and specifications are available in PL / DE / EN language versions.