A gold Henry VII (1457-1509) sovereign is the headline lot at Spink's December 18 sale in London with a £120,000-160,000 ($187,677-250,236) estimate.

The coin was issued between 1489 and 1509 and was designed to be the largest and most valuable coin ever minted. Made from 23-carat gold, it was intended as a statement to rest of Europe.

Henry VII issued the first sovereign in 1489

It displays the king in his regalia, with the reverse showing the Tudor rose encompassing the royal shield.

Spink describe the piece as displaying: "light weakness of strike to King's robe corresponding on reverse, fractional areas of double striking in obverse legend, otherwise a magnificent specimen with extensive lustre and much as struck, the fine detail to the king's face and throne particularly resplendent, extremely fine and very rare."

Also on offer is a Henry VIII third coinage gold sovereign, which is valued at £120,000-150,000 ($188,286-235,358).

The lot is one of the finest examples of a Henry VIII sovereign extant, displaying only light wear and excellent facial detail. It's appearing at auction for the first time since 1950.

We have an exciting selection of rare coins available, click here to take a look.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about coins and banknotes auctions.