File:England c1584 sovereign obv Heritage 3010-21013.jpg

This specimen was lot 21013 in Heritage sale 3010 (Boston, August 2010), where it sold for $16,100. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Elizabeth I gold "Fine" Sovereign ND (1584-86), S2529, 6th Issue of 1583-1600, escallop mm (used 1584-86), VF35 NGC, a solidly graded coin by anyone's standard, and just a really pleasant example of this large issue, the flan nice and round with only a couple of very small cracks barely touching the tops of some of the legend (just through the outer beading, in other words), not much waviness to the flan which is unusual, a remarkably even strike, portrait with the usual softness yet distinct and you can make out the queen's facial features to some extent, all the legends clear and the letters all struck up, and the color an excellent old-gold or well-set medium gold. You could not want much more in one of these at this grade level; a very affordable piece for this rarity, made of almost pure gold (.995 in fineness), which is why the coin has come to be called a "fine" Sovereign. All in all, an excellent example of this historic issue. From the Highlands Park Collection of British Coins."