1 Crown - Elizabeth II Player running with ball, Silver Proof

Gibraltar's Crown series of the 1990s targeted the commemorative collector market aggressively, issuing themed sports pieces ahead of major international tournaments. This particular issue coincides with the 1998 FIFA World Cup held in France — the first World Cup to expand to 32 competing nations, a structural change pushed through by FIFA president João Havelange in his final term before Sepp Blatter succeeded him that same year.

Gibraltar itself has no FIFA membership and could not compete, a political complication rooted in Spanish objections that would remain unresolved for nearly two more decades.