Royal Mint

The Royal Mint, or as it’s legally named, the Royal Mint Limited, is the sole producer of all of Britain's coin-based currency, and it is owned by Her Majesty’s Treasury; the official treasury of the royal family.

With its high-profile ownership, reputation for top-tier bullion production, and overall reliability, the Royal Mint is one of the most revered mints in the world and a prime source of bullion for investors worldwide.

History

The Royal Mint is one of the world’s oldest mints, and it traces all the way back to 886 AD. At the time of its conception, the Royal Mint was known as the London Mint. From 886 AD to 1686, the London Mint was located and fully operated inside of the Tower of London, where it produced early coinage to be used as currency as well as bullion. From 1668 to 1960, the now-named Royal Mint was located in Royal Mint Court.

Throughout this entire period, and for several decades more, the Royal Mint was a government entity. It functioned very similarly to modern-day central bank mints that are owned, operated, and managed by the nation's government for banking and economic purposes. However, that changed dramatically in 2009 when a public push for private minting caused the British government to remove Royal Mint's executive government entity status and turn it into a limited state-owned business.

The change to being a state-owned private mint has produced a number of massive expansions for Royal Mint that have helped boost the British economy and provide benefits for investors and various other countries around the world.

Namely, the 2009 change reinvigorated the mint's bullion-producing activity that had grown stagnant during its time as an executive government entity. This is why Royal Mint bullion is now available to investors of all kinds on a global scale, as well as why multiple international countries rely on the mint for currency and bullion production.

Currently, Royal Mint Limited is under contract by Her Majesty’s treasury to exclusively produce the UK’s coinage. The mint also produces large quantities of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion, creates limited-run commemorative bullion coins for collectors and investors alike, and is a pivotal part in the creation of economic currency for several European and transcontinental countries.

With commemorative and limited-run coins drawing collectors from around the world, and a reputation for producing only the finest bullion, Royal Mint has been a staple in the mint industry for more than 1100 years.

Products

The list of products on offer from Royal Mint is extensive. With such a rich history and its somewhat recent massive expansion due to its status change, Royal Mint has something available for every type of client.

In the following sections, we’ll delve into the most popular bullion products Royal Mint offers; from bullion bars to commemorative coins and rounds.

British Sovereign:

The British Sovereign is a world-renown coin and is highly popular among collectors. It's a derivative of the 1603 English Gold Sovereign coin, and it was first struck in 1816 during the nation's Great Recoinage. The reverse design of the British Sovereign has changed over the years, and the most modern coins contain depictions of Saint George and the Dragon along with the initials of the coin's designer, Benedetto Pistrucci alongside the mint date.

Originally, the British Sovereign was very similar to the American Gold Eagle coin. It was a standard coin-based currency equal to one British pound per coin, and it could be used for financial transactions of all kinds.

Now, this coin is considered a bullion coin, and it is much more revered than just a basic currency.

The British Sovereign is available for private purchase by investors. However, the coin is also used to produce unique pieces of jewelry and other display pieces that make use of the coin’s value and overall history.

Coins are available in a range of conditions, from circulated to proof. New issue coins are sold in uncirculated condition, while most older coins are circulated. A Proof Coin is a British Sovereign that has been freshly minted to “proof” specifications for the purpose of private sale and collection. The standard of minting in a proof coin is higher than that of an uncirculated coin, however they are also significantly more expensive. The Sovereign contains 7.32 grams of 97.1% pure gold, and its market value fluctuates with the gold price. However, the collectible nature of these coins means that older circulated coins can often fetch a higher-than-standard price among collectors.

There is another unique perk to investing in British Sovereigns. Besides their gold content, they are also exempt from capital gains tax for all UK residents. This means that, even if your Sovereigns increase in value dramatically, you won’t be liable for annual capital gains taxes on your profits.

British Britannia Series Coins:

The British Britannia series of bullion coins have been around since 1987 starting with the 99.9 pure gold coin. In subsequent years, namely 1997 and 2018, silver and platinum variants were added to the series respectively.

In its earliest form, the British Britannia was a gold bullion coin aimed at the major boom in coin collectors during the 80s, but it has evolved substantially since its debut. Now, it is not only a beautiful commemorative coin for the UK, but it’s also one of the most secure, counterfeit-proof gold coins on the market.

Going off the most recent version of the British Britannia, collectors will be overjoyed to have a coin that combines symbols of the UK's most prideful traits into an animated illustration of the UK's past and present.

The obverse of the current British Britannia coin features Britannia herself wielding a trident and an olive branch. The trident is symbolic of Britain's tremendous naval history and power, while the olive branch is reminiscent of peace and prosperity. Beneath Britannia, well-detailed waves cascade into the distance.

However, the truly impressive design features are less noticeable. For both symbolism and functional security, the coin is designed in an animated manner. When the viewer changes their perspective, they can see the trident slowly transform into a padlock to represent the extreme security of the coin, and the already-impressive waves begin to roll along.

Beyond being an intriguing visual illusion, this and the security font along the rim of the coin help make it nearly impossible to create counterfeits or forgeries of the British Britannia.

The gold versions of these coins are available in ½-ounce, ¼-ounce, and 1/10-ounce sizes, while silver versions are made from .999 fine silver and only come in 1-ounce coins.

The platinum versions of these coins come in the same three sizes available for gold variants, and they contain 999.5 platinum.

The large variety of purchasing options, combined with the high security and unique collectible nature of these coins make them perfect for diversifying a bullion portfolio with various precious metals.

British Britannia Bar Series:

Beyond the British Britannia coins that are famous worldwide, Royal Mint also produces the British Britannia bar. These bars exceed the standards of run-of-the-mill bullion bars due to their intricate engravings, security features, and overall uniqueness.

First, the gold bars meet or exceed all bullion standards. These high-quality bars range from just 1-gram in weight to 100-oz; so there are options available for investors of all levels. The Britannia Bar series is available in gold, silver, and platinum.

Each of the gold Britannia bars is struck from 999.9 pure gold, and they are made to the highest manufacturing standards. On the obverse, an intricate and difficult to duplicate depiction of Britannia wielding her trident is engraved into the surface. While that already sets it apart from other bullion bars, the reverse is even more complex with the Royal Mint name engraved at the top, the Royal Mint's shield beside it, the weight of the bar and purity rating in the middle, and waves all sitting atop an intricately engraved pattern.

These features make counterfeiting Britannia bars an incredibly difficult task, and this means that you can invest without worry.

The most popular sized 1 ounce bar is available in gold and platinum. Silver bars are available in 10 ounce and 100 ounce sizes. Regardless of which metal variant you opt to purchase, the engravings and high standards are the same as they are on the gold base model.

For reference, the platinum bars are struck with 999.5 pure platinum, and the silver bars are struck with 999 fine silver to ensure that all of the Britannia bars meet the Royal Mint’s exceptionally high standards.

Again, the large variety of options available provides the same benefits provided by the Britannia coins. They offer numerous ways for investors of all kinds to build a portfiolio. 

Special Edition Coins from Royal Mint:

Of course, while Royal Mint adds many details to their more basic coins and bars, they are also known for going even further with their special edition coins.

There are several special edition coins available from Royal Mint. At the time of this writing, the predominant special edition collection is The Queen’s Beasts.

Designed by Royal Mint’s latest in-house designer, Jody Clark, The Queen’s Beasts collection takes inspiration from the original Queen’s Beasts statues; further inspired by creatures of myth and legend.

The collection is substantial with all 10 beasts being represented on their own coins alongside Queen Elizabeth II, and the final coin of the collection features Queen Elizabeth II prominently focused in the middle of the obverse side with all ten beasts surrounding her.

This coin collection, as well as other special edition collections that have been minted over the years, comes in a variety of sizes and metal options.

The Queen's Beasts coins can be found in sizes from ¼-ounce to 1-ounce in platinum, silver, and gold, and the design elements of each are identical besides the obvious differences in the metal used and the purity ratings for each metal.

For gold, all coins are struck in 999.9 pure gold. Silver is 999 fine silver, and platinum is the industry standard of 999.5 pure platinum.

This collection of coins functions perfectly as bullion and maintains the current rate of each coin’s respective precious metal, but there is added value in the rarity and sentimental value that accompanies a special edition coin from Royal Mint. These coins do have some numismatic value and may appreciate over time.

How to Buy Royal Mint Bullion

Buying Royal Mint bullion is an easy process, and the non-special edition versions of its coins and bullion bars are plentiful.

At Suisse Gold, we offer all of the Royal Mint bullion products listed here complete with all applicable assays and identifying serial numbers. Moreso, there are several benefits to being a Suisse Gold client.

Our clients can enjoy seamless transactions with 20 international currencies and 8 cryptocurrencies to ensure the buying process is simplistic and secure.

We also offer both delivery and secure storage in a Swiss vault for all orders to accommodate collectors who want hands-on control of their bullion or investors who would rather ensure their investments are protected in the most secure vaults imaginable.

Finally, European clients ordering from Suisse Gold can enjoy VAT-free transactions on all orders of silver, platinum, and palladium.

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