October 29, 2015 – With the release of gold fractional coins, the Royal Mint has completed its Britannia bullion range for 2015. The coins are available to purchase in a range of packaging styles and quantities, either individually in the new credit card-sized sealed protective single packaging, in protective tubes of 10, 20 or 25 coins, or in sheets of 20 capsules.
UK / 100 Pounds / Gold .9999 / 31.21 g / 32.69 mm / Design: Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (observe) and Philip Nathan (reverse).
The smaller coins have been welcomed for their ability to offer a choice of increments to customers looking for versatility and a more easily divisible portfolio, further enhancing The Royal Mint’s bullion offering, which has recently seen the launch of trading website royalmintbullion.com and the addition of Royal Mint Refinery gold and silver bars to the range.
UK / 2 Pounds / Silver .999 / 31.21 g / 38.61 mm / Design: Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (observe) and Philip Nathan (reverse).
Lisa Elward, The Royal Mint’s Head of Bullion Sales said, “The introduction of Britannia fractional coins in our new secure credit card sized packaging and the launch of the royalmintbullion.com trading website have made bullion coins even more accessible for those looking to access the precious metals market. The VAT-free status of gold coins in the United Kingdom and the fact that all UK coins are capital gains tax free for UK residents continues to appeal. This is an exciting time for The Royal Mint, as the latest enhancements to our bullion products and services create an even more compelling choice for the bullion buyer.”
The National Armada memorial in Plymouth depicting Britannia. Photograph: Wikicommons. Mageslayer 99 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
Britannia, the female representation of Britain, has a long history on British coinage. She is the embodiment of the nation she has represented for almost 2,000 years, ever since the Romans invaded the isles and claimed them as the province of Britannia. She first appeared on the Roman coins of Emperor Hadrian circa AD 119 and was revived for the coinage of Charles II in 1672.
For more detailed information please visit the website of the Royal Mint.
Find out more about the background of Britannia on coins here.
If you want to find out who was the model of the first Britannia, read our CoinsWeekly article on the diary of Samuel Pepys.
And if you want to listen to immortal ‘Rule Britannia’, please do so here.