Gold British Coins

Gold British Coins at Silver.com

Some of the most coveted gold coin programs on the market come from the Royal Mint. The Royal Mint has a history dating back to 1,100 years ago and is one of the oldest minting facilities in the world. With the UK’s reign over the world, many unique branches sprung across the globe. Currently, they are headquartered in Llantrisant, South Wales. Their most popular gold coin is the Gold British Britannia; however, they have several others that continue to impress. Learn more about these Gold British Coins right here at Silver.com.

Gold British Britannia Coins

The most well-known of these gold coin programs is the Gold British Britannia. The official gold bullion coin program of the United Kingdom is the Gold British Britannia, which was introduced in 1987. When these coins debuted, they contained 22-karat gold. In 2013, these coins were upgraded to feature .9999 pure gold.

Over the years many unique obverse designs have been used on these coins, consisting of the following:

• 1987-1997: Queen Elizabeth II designed by Raphael Maklouf.
• 1998-2015: Queen Elizabeth II created by Ian Rank-Broadley.
• 2016-2023: Queen Elizabeth II portrait from Jody Clark.
• 2023-Present: King Charles III effigy by Martin Jennings.

As for the reverse design, 52 total designs were submitted from 14 unique designers. Phillip Nathan’s depiction of Britannia looking to the left, with her trident and her Union Jack shield, was chosen. The design on the reverse has changed sporadically over the years, but this is the most common design used.

Coins are issued in several unique sizes ranging from 1/20 oz to 5 oz. After originally featuring a 1 oz coin along with three fractional-ounce weights, a 5 oz coin, and a 1/20 oz coin were added in 2013.

Gold British Queen’s Beasts

The Queen’s Beasts Series ran from 2016 to 2021 and released coins in gold, silver, and platinum. Interestingly, Jody Clark who created the final effigy for Queen Elizabeth II created all 10 designs for these gold coins.

The series pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and her lineage. When the Queen was coronated, there were 10 statues created to form a guard of honor. Each statue was seen holding a shield bearing a unique badge of arms associated with the genealogy of the Queen.

• 2016 Lion of England
• 2017 Griffin of Edward III
• 2017 Red Dragon of Wales
• 2018 Unicorn of Scotland
• 2018 Black Bull of Clarence
• 2019 Falcon of the Plantagenets
• 2019 Yale of Beaufort
• 2020 White Lion of Mortimer
• 2020 White Horse of Hanover
• 2021 White Greyhound of Richmond

Coins are available in 1 oz and 1/4  oz options. The Royal Mint did release an 11th coin in the series called “The Completer Coin” which shows all 10 beasts on 1 coin.

Gold British Tudor Beasts

Following the success of the Queen’s Beasts Series, the Royal Mint followed it up with the Gold British Tudor Beasts Series. This series focuses on the Tudor dynasty that ruled the throne from 1485 to 1603. Coins are issued in both 1 oz and 1/4 oz weights, like the Queen’s Beasts series. BU coins are packaged in flips while proof strikes arrive in display boxes.

• 1st Design: Seymour Panther
• 2nd Design: Lion of England
• 3rd Design: Yale of Beaufort
• 4th Design: Bull of Clarence
• 5th Design: Seymour Unicorn

Gold British Sovereigns

One of the most recognizable gold coins in the world is the Gold British Sovereign. These coins were first struck in 1817 as a means to replace banknotes. Over the years the popularity of these coins, as well as the gold content fluctuated, however, nowadays these coins are made with 22-karat gold (91.67% gold).

These coins feature the reigning British monarch on the obverse. Modern bullion Sovereigns depicted Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Her death in 2022 though led to King Charles III being depicted on the obverse starting in early 2023. The reverse of these coins shows Benedetto Pistrucci’s 1817 design of St. George slaying a dragon.

Gold British Myths and Legends

Another popular series is the Myths and Legends Series. This coin program debuted in 2021 with a unique structure. While every coin is part of the Myths and Legends Series, coins are issued in collections of 3. These mini-series focus on figures from the same British folklore or piece of mythology.

The first mini-series is dedicated to Robin Hood

• 2021: Robin Hood
• 2022: Little John
• 2022: Maid Marian

The second mini-series is focused on King Arthur

• 2023: King Arthur
• 2023: Merlin
• 2023: Morgan Le Fay

Acquiring Gold British Coins at Silver.com

For any inquiries about these Gold British Coins, contact the Silver.com customer service team. We can be reached via email, through our online chat feature, or by giving us a call at 1-888-989-7223.