The Royal Mint

History of the Royal Mint

The Royal Mint is the world's oldest mint with a history that can be traced back to 886 AD. In 1279, the old mint was located inside the Tower of London and the Royal Mint's military guard was in charge of patrolling the boundary wall and protecting the site. It remained at that location for more than 500 years until 1810 when it was relocated to Tower Hill. In 1852, NM Rothschild was awarded a lease to run a refinery separate from the Royal Mint. This was known as the Royal Mint Refinery and it operated more than 100 years before being sold to Engelhard Industries Ltd in 1967.

As the 1800s and early 1900s saw the discovery of gold and gold-mining operations in various British colonies, the Royal Mint opened branch mints close to these locations to produce gold Sovereigns. Branch mints were established in Sydney in 1855, Melbourne in 1872, and Perth in 1899. In 1908, a branch was opened in Ottawa and 1918 another branch in Bombay. The final branch of the Royal Mint opened in Pretoria in 1923.

These branch mints manufactured gold Sovereigns with their own mint marks, such as C for Canada and SA for Pretoria. As each of these nations gained independence from the British Empire, these mints went on to become some of the world's largest commercial mints, including the Perth Mint and Royal Canadian Mint.

In the 1960s, the Royal Mint was moved outside the City of London ending the era of the ‘London Mint’ and ushering in a new Royal Mint located in South Wales. The last coin struck in the Tower Mint was in 1975. Today, the Royal Mint Museum is housed on the current site of the new mint. Visitors can enjoy the 'Royal Mint Experience', which showcases the region's history of coins, medals, artwork, and minting equipment.

Royal Mint bullion products

The Royal Mint's most notable bullion coin products are the Britannia coin series and Sovereign coins, however they produce an enormous range of other highly sought-after bullion coins, such as the Lunar series and Queen’s Beasts series.

British Britannia coins

The Britannia is the flagship coin of the Royal Mint and Great Britain’s official bullion coin. Launched in 1987, the gold Britannia was the first European investment coin. The coins were initially released with 916.7 purity 22 karat gold, however since 2013 purity was increased to .9999 24 karat gold. The Britannia coins are noted for their exquisite design and high liquidity, worthy of any investment portfolio regardless of the year (although the higher purity coins hold more value).

Britannia coins are recognized all over the world, easily distinguishable by the figure of Lady Britannia, the female personification of Britain, on the reverse side. There have been a few different versions of Lady Britannia since the coin's first release, the original featured her standing and since 2005 a seated version of the Lady Britannia has been depicted. All the coins feature the Goddess with a trident and shield wearing a Corinthian helmet. She holds an olive branch in her hands, a symbol of peace and victory. The 2003 version of the Britannia coins featured the Goddess in a helmet as though preparing for war.

The obverse side of the coin features the late Queen Elizabeth II in a portrait designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. Around the portrait are the Latin words 'ELIZABETH II, D, G, REG, FID, DEF' which translates to 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'. The design of British Britannia coins are the same for both gold and silver versions. Since the Queen’s passing, Britannia coins now feature the effigy of King Charles III. A special 2023 King Charles III Coronation Gold Coin was released to honor his role as king.

Gold Britannia coins are available in different weights, from smaller denominations like the 1/10 oz Gold Britannia coin to larger ¼ oz Gold Britannia and the classic 1 oz Gold Britannia coin.

Silver Britannia coins were first released in 1997 in the 1 oz Silver Britannia version, with a purity of 0.958. This changed in 2013 to 0.9999 pure silver. The design of the silver Britannia coins is the same as the gold counterparts. The silver Britannias are available in different weights, including a 1/10 oz Silver Britannia, 10 oz Silver Britannia coin, and even 1kg Silver Britannia.

There are also Platinum Britannia Coins, made from 999.5 pure platinum.

British Sovereign coins

The British Gold Sovereigns are amongst the most prestigious gold bullion coins in the world. This 22 karat gold coin is the Royal Mint's flagship coin and has been a constant of British coinage for more than 200 years since 1817. Both a full Gold Sovereign and Half Gold Sovereign are minted by the Royal Mint, each with a fineness of 0.9167. The Gold Sovereign Coin weighs 7.988 grams with a gold content of 0.2354 troy ounces.

The coin's design features St George slaying a dragon on the reverse side and Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Since 2023, new Sovereigns issued feature King Charles III on the obverse.

Queen’s Beasts series

The Queen's Beasts gold coin series, launched in 2016, is inspired by British heritage and traditions. Each coin in the series represents one of the 10 golden heraldic statues present when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953. Each beast carries the coat of arms of a noble house associated with the monarchy and is a symbol of power, lineage, and loyalty. The Queen's Beast gold coins have a millesimal fineness of 999.9 and are amongst the purest coins on the market today.

Gold coins in the Queen's Beasts series include the 1 oz Queen’s Beasts Dragon Coin, 1 oz Queen’s Beasts Lion Coin, and 1 oz Queen’s Beasts Unicorn Coin.

Myths and Legends Coins

The Myths and Legends coin series by the Royal Mint is inspired by British folklore and pays homage to infamous characters throughout British history. This coin collection includes the 1 oz Merlin Myths and Legends Gold Coin, the 1 oz Beowulf Silver Coin, and the 1 oz Morgan Le Fay Gold Coin. Gold coins in the series are made from 999.9 pure 24 karat gold and silver coins from 999 pure silver.

Buy gold & silver bullion from the Royal Mint

There’s no bullion investment quite as prestigious and internationally recognized like one from the Royal Mint. Whether you choose to invest in the classic iconic Britannia or Sovereign coins or a coin from the brilliant Queen’s Beasts or Myths and Legends series, you’ll be making an investment that’s as collectible as it is intrinsically valuable.

At StoneX Bullion, we’re proud to offer a wide range of bullion coins from the Royal Mint as well as some of the world’s most trusted government and private mints. We’re an affiliate member of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), allowing us to stand out in the market for our high-quality products and commitment to good trading practices. We only stock bullion from the most well-respected mints in the world and buy directly from producers wherever possible, offering competitive prices to all of our clients.

Browse through our collection of investment-grade precious metals coins from the Royal Mint and start investing today.