Can you identify the coin?

Hello all,

Here's a little game... Recently, the Terror was found, one of the two lost ships of the Franklin Expedition sent from England in 1845 to find and map the northwest passage, i.e. a sailable passage in the Canadian arctic. If you listen to this podcast:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-september-15-2016-1.3763076/inuit-demand-input-over-division-of-franklin-expedition-artifacts-1.3763319

you will soon hear the guest mention a gold coin that her grandfather had received in payment for his involvement in the first Franklin expedition (at about 2:25 into the interview). She describes the coin in quite many details, adding that it was heavy and fun to play with (!). I have narrowed it down to two possibilities (actually, two varieties of the same denomination). Can you guess what coin it is? I'd be interested to know whether someone else comes to the same conclusion. I'm not telling you yet what I think so that I won't influence your judgment.

If you substitute "dragon" for "serpent" in her description, it sounds like a British Gold Sovereign or 2 Pound coin with Queen Victoria wearing the small crown (fat cheeks) or perhaps the later mature head 1/2 Sovereign or Sovereign.

Quote: "Steve27"​If you substitute "dragon" for "serpent" in her description, it sounds like a British Gold Sovereign or 2 Pound coin with Queen Victoria wearing the small crown (fat cheeks) or perhaps the later mature head 1/2 Sovereign or Sovereign.

​This is exactly my own conclusion. She omitted the horse, but everything else fits the description. The "fat cheek" description suggests the Jubilee issue.

Now if I'm not mistaken (and I'll have to double-check that) the first Franklin recovery expedition happened in the early 1980s. I find it strange that you would give an 80-90 year old Victorian sovereign (or ½ sovereign) in payment, even if that payment was in the form of a gift.