Britannia tube | 25 x 1 troy ounce

 

The silver Britannia is issued annually by the British Royal Mint. It was introduced in 1997 as an official silver bullion coin of the United Kingdom.

 

Silver Britannia coins minted before 2013 have a purity of 958/1.000 and weigh 32,45 grams. Coins minted from 2013 on have a purity of 999/1.000 and weigh 31,10 grams (1 troy ounce). Its purity and weight make it a proper bullion coin, acknowledged worldwide and easy to trade. The tube contains 25 coins, which makes 777,50 grams of fine silver per tube.

 

Since 2023, the face of the silver Britannia minted shows the portrait of King Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. Around his portrait you will find the text ‘Charles III D. G. Rex. F. D’ and the face value of the coin, ‘2 pounds’. Coins minted up until 2022 carry the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, former Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

 

The reverse of the silver Britannia shows a redesign of George William de Saulles ‘Standing Birtannia’¹ which was originally used on the British Trade Dollars. Lady Britannia is the personification of the United Kingdom and England. She is portrayed in a Roman tunica and a feathered helmet. She is standing on a rock, carrying a trident in her right hand and looking to the right. In her left hand, she is carrying an olive branch and a shield with the British flag, the Union Flag. Around her portrait you will find the name ‘Britannia’, the weight ‘1oz’ and the purity ‘999 fine silver’ of the coin. At the bottom you will find the name ‘Nathan’ as a reference to the sculptor and engraver of the Royal Mint, Philip Nathan.

 

Both the gold and silver Britannia are characterised by a number of safety features which make it practically impossible to counterfeit these coins:

 

+ The latent image in the bottom left corner of the coin: a holographic effect where a padlock changes into the trident of Britannia when you tilt the coin.
+ The surface animation behind the portrait of Britannia: an engraving technique which creates the effect of moving waves behind Britannia.
+ The micro-text around the portrait of Britannia: the inscription ‘Decus et Tutamen’ (an ornament and a safeguard) which is engraved in the coin by micro engraving.
+ The tincture lines in the Union Flag on the shield of Britannia: hatchings which represent the heraldic colours of the flag (horizontal hatching = blue, vertical hatching = red).

 

 

The silver Britannia and other silver coins serve perfectly as a purchase of physical silver. Opposed to silver bars you needn't pay VAT because silver coins are traded under the VAT margin regulation.