Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a gold coin.

1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1902		H. Baumann Londinismen (2nd edn).
1905		Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 4 Feb. 5/6: A soveriegn has been rechristened a ‘glistener,’ a ‘goldfinch,’ a ‘mousetrap,’ a ‘new hat’ [...] a ‘remedy,’ a ‘stranger’’.
1919		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 7 June 9/6: Slang of Money [...] A sovereign is a ‘glistener,’ ‘mousetrap,’ ‘new hat,’ ‘quid,’ ‘remedy,’ ‘stranger,’ ‘thick ’un’.
1925		H. Leverage ‘Dict. Und.’ in Flynn’s mag. cited in Partridge DU (1949).
1925		Mail (Adelaide) 23 May 23/4: The sovereign has been variously called a ‘glistener,’ a ‘mouse trap,’ [...] a ‘remedy,‘ a ‘stranger,’ a ‘bean’.

2. an eye.

1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 Mar. 1/3: Terry [...] got well home on the glistener again.
1860		Sporting Life (London) 17 Oct. 3/4: Gillam returned slightly on Tom’s left glistener.