1 Sovereign - Mary

Mary I's sovereign was struck in the months immediately following her accession — the first English gold sovereign issued in a woman's name. The Tower Mint had been producing debased coinage under Edward VI, and Mary's administration moved to restore fineness as part of a broader effort to rehabilitate royal credibility. This piece reflects that corrective policy rather than a routine continuation of the series.

The reign lasted only five years, and the window for this specific pre-marriage issue was shorter still — Philip II of Spain appears on coinage struck after the 1554 union, making sole-reign pieces a distinct and abbreviated type.