Gold Britannia

Gold Britannia History

This British gold coin has been issued since 1987 by the Royal Mint, the UK's executive agency responsible for minting British currency.

On the reverse side of the coin is a representation of Britannia, the female embodiment of the British nation, hence her name ‘Britannia’, which is the Latin name for Great Britain. Britannia is usually accompanied by a lion, wearing a Greek helmet, armed with a trident and flanked by a shield. The background landscape is often a seashore.

Its face value is £100 and it contains exactly 1 troy ounce of gold. Until 2012, the gold Britannia was produced in 916.7 pure gold (22 carat), making it more resistant to shocks and wear. The Royal Mint then decided to increase the ‘fineness’ of the Britannia in order to compete with other 24-carat investment coins. Since 2013, gold Britannias have a purity of 999.9. These coins are more delicate and should preferably be kept in a safe and sealed, but they have a higher gold content, which makes them more attractive from an investment point of view. Until 1989, the alloy used was copper, but since 1990 it has been silver-based.

Gold Britannia Price

An important factor affecting the price of a gold Britannia coin is the value of the gold it contains. The weight of a 1oz gold Britannia coin is 31.1g or 34.05g with a fineness of 916.7 or 999.9. This means that a 1oz gold Britannia coin has a pure gold content of 31.10g. The price of a gold Britannia coin is directly linked to the global price of gold.

Gold Britannia prices can vary thanks to the coin's history and numismatic appeal, with certain years or designs being particularly desirable with collectors. The price of a new 1oz gold Britannia coin will be based on today's gold price, with a small premium to cover the cost of manufacture and supply. Older or rare gold Britannia coins can cost considerably more than the gold price.

Our website is constantly updated to display the price of gold Britannia coins in real time. These gold Britannia coins have a diameter of 32.6mm and are a great investment or collector's item.

Gold Britannia Value

Investors often ask what is the value of a gold Britannia? Gold Britannia coins have a face value of 100. It is important to note that the face value has no bearing on the actual value of the coin. As mentioned, the gold Britannia coins main value can usually be worked out based on the current gold price. It is this simplicity that makes gold bullion coins appealing. They are bought and sold based on their intrinsic metal value without having to worry about any numismatic value and more complicated selling process.

You can always find an intrinsic value for a 1oz gold Britannia thanks to the public spot price. The value of a gold Britannia is therefore generally the same regardless of the year and is just based on the metal content. Some years of 1oz gold Britannia coins might command a further premium. A lower mintage, or special design could see their value increase beyond their metal content.

How Much are Gold Britannia Coins Worth?

If you are wondering how much are gold Britannia coins worth, a simple rule of thumb is that a gold Britannia has 31.10g of pure gold. If you see the gold price in grams/ounces you can therefore work out how much a gold Britannia is worth quite quickly.