With roughly 1,100 years of history, The Royal Mint traces its legacy with precious metals through the trials and tribulations that Britain has endured.
Though the mint’s history dates back to 886, an organizational framework to ensure its effective functioning did not exist until the mid-13th century. The mint flourished within the Tower of London and became a well-established part of the government with several historically significant stewards. In fact, Sir Isaac Newton was Warden of the Mint for a time before serving as Master of the Royal Mint.
As the world’s leading export mint, The Royal Mint manufactures coins throughout the United Kingdom. It also supplies banks and produces military medals for an average of 60 countries around the world every year.
Popular Mint Products
The mint uses similar processes to those it has used since ancient times. That dedication to tradition is part of what makes gold coins and silver coins from the Royal Mint so valuable.
The Britannia Coins are the most popular coins issued by the Royal Mint. First introduced in 1987, the high-purity coin series available in silver, gold, and platinum has been a favorite among collectors and investors. The design has changed slightly over the years, including security upgrades in 2021 with surface animation, a latent image, micro text, and tincture lines. These stunning coins are especially popular in the United States as many of them are eligible for precious metal IRAs.
Timeless British coins include the British Gold Sovereigns, which have been minted since 1489. The modern Gold Sovereign Coin was initially introduced in 1817 and has been minted yearly since, except in 1933, when gold coins were not minted in the UK. This widely popular coin is one of the few gold coins exempt from capital gains tax, adding to its desirability.
A series called The Queen’s Beasts is a unique commemorative coin series honoring each of the ten heraldic beast statues created to guard the entrance to Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. The series ran from 2016 to 2021 and is available in silver, gold, and platinum. The silver coin in this series was the first two-ounce silver bullion coin minted in the UK. To finalize the series, the Mint issued an 11th coin in the series weighing 10kg and featured all 10 of the beasts. The “Completer Coin” is the heaviest gold coin the Royal Mint has ever produced. Smaller denominations of the coin are available in gold for collectors to complete their set.
Another ten-coin beast series, the Royal Tudor Beasts, started in 2022. This ongoing set of coins, available in silver, gold, and platinum, represents the ten stone beasts representing Henry VIII and his lineage with his third wife, Jane Seymour. These statues line the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace today.
All coins from The Royal Mint are known to meet even the highest quality standards and are respected by collectors and investors around the world.
Patriotic Beauty
The Silver Britannia’s attractive design was created to appeal to collectors and investors alike. The reverse of these exquisite coins illustrates Britannia, who resembles the Roman figure Boudica. Britannia first appeared on British coins in 1672 and has been a fixture of British coinage ever since. She is seen as a symbol of British unity, liberty, and strength, meaning she resurfaces during particularly challenging times. Like Liberty in the U.S. and Marianne in France, Britannia becomes more prominent during war or when national pride is booming.
Traditions of Excellency
In 1809, the mint was moved from the Tower of London to the Smithfield building, designed by James Johnson and Robert Smirke.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the British Royal Mint’s current headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales, in 1967. Production at the new location began the following year in 1968, and gradually received more and more production assignments over the next seven years. With the last coin being struck in London, a gold Sovereign, the location was closed in 1975.
Considered the world’s leading export mint, the British Royal Mint is true to its priority of minting and distributing British sovereign coins for the entire U.K. Having stood the test of time, the Royal Mint is renowned worldwide for the quality and beauty of its products.
