Can you get Platinum Britannia Coins?

Yes, the Platinum version of the popular gold and silver Britannia is easily available across the UK. The Britannia is a flagship gold coin released by the Royal Mint in 1987. The gold version of the coin released that year had a value of £100. It contained one Troy ounce of pure gold, which was 22 carats. In 2013, the purity of the coin was elevated to 999.9, or 24 carats. At the time, the South African gold Krugerrand was one of the most popular gold coins in the world.

The gold Britannia

The Royal Mint released the gold Britannia to compete with this coin and it soon became the most iconic British coin ever released. The gold Britannia remains attractive to investors due to its status as a VAT free and CGT free coin in the UK. The coins featured an image of the reigning British monarch, Queen, Elizabeth II on the obverse. The reverse of the coin features the classic image of the Britannia icon, with a shield and trident. The design of this coin was created by Philip Nathan.

A silver Britannia coin from 2018, the same year that the Platinum Britannia was launched

The silver Britannia

In 1997, the Royal Mint introduced a silver version of the Britannia coin. The silver Britannia contained one Troy ounce of pure silver and had a face value of 2 pounds. The first design of this coin was created by the famous designer, Jody Clark. The silver Britannia gained popularity over the years, due to its easy availability as a bullion coin. It also allowed coin collectors and investors to acquire the Britannia coin in silver, at a fraction of the price of the gold coin.

Different issues of the Britannia coin

The original gold Britannia was initially released in four different sizes. Apart from the 1-ounce coin, it was also available in smaller dimensions, weighing a half ounce, quarter ounce and 1/10 of an ounce. However, since 2013, the gold Britannia became available in a variety of sizes, which included a large 5-ounce coin. While smaller denominations of the coin allowed investors to create divisibility in their portfolio, some investors prefer the large coin, as they were able to acquire a larger amount of gold for a lower price per gram.

The Platinum Britannia

2018 saw the first-ever platinum Britannia issued by the Royal Mint. It is a 1oz coin and is minted in 999.5 pure platinum. It has a face value of £100. This follows the first silver version in 1997 and the first gold edition in 1987, demonstrating the spread of different precious metals that are popular amongst investors.

A mix of precious metal coins, including the gold and silver Britannia

Details of the Platinum Britannia

The Platinum Britannia coin released in 2018 featured a diameter of 32.69 mm. Once again, the obverse of the coin was designed by Jody Clark, while the reverse featured the iconic Britannia image designed by Philip Nathan. The obverse of the coin has an interesting change in design, with a guilloche background. It has an intertwined background with small studs engraved into the body of the coin that creates a brilliant effect in Platinum.

The Platinum Britannia coin was released with an unlimited mintage, which ensured easy availability for investors. The coin was minted by the Royal Mint to bullion standard and considered legal tender in the UK. While the Platinum coin is not VAT-free, it is, however, CGT free, due to its status as a UK legal tender coin. The coin provides a great opportunity for UK investors to spread their investments across a range of precious metals, moving away from the traditional gold and silver.

Talk to our experts for all your precious metal coin investments

At Physical Gold, our experts are readily available to offer you free advice on the best precious metal coins that you can buy. Platinum is a great choice and we can help you get the best deals if you wish to buy Platinum Britannia coins. Call us on (020) 7060 9992 and connect with our team members for a chat today. Alternatively, you can also reach us online by sending us an email via our website.

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons and Eric Golub