Regular Bullion Release

From 1997 to 2012 the silver coins had a fineness of 0.958 with a weight of 32.45 grams, a fine silver weight of 31.1 grams (1 troy ounce) and a diameter of 40.00 mm. Since 2013 the silver coins have been produced with a fineness of 0.999 (99.9% silver). They have a weight of 31.21 grams, a fine silver weight of 31.1 grams (1 troy ounce) and a diameter of 38.61 mm. 

Silver Britannia's have been released each year beginning in 1997 (with 1997 only available in proof). In 1998 and in all subsequent even-numbered years the reverse design has depicted a standing Britannia figure.

Beginning in 1999 and continuing in odd-numbered years, a series of alternate, non-repeating depictions of Britannia have replaced the standing figure on the reverse.  While mintage was limited prior to 2013, in 2013 and after, mintage of the bullion version of the coin is unlimited based on demand. *mintage figures below were provided by a FOI request from the Royal Mint.

Update for 2023 Bullion  - The Britannia 2023 bullion coin is available featuring the fifth and final effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with a limited production run. Alongside this, a 2023 coin featuring King Charles III's first effigy was also released.

Lunar Privy

Since 2013, the Royal Mint has struck a special version of it's 1oz silver coin. Produced for American bullion dealer A-Mark Precious Metals, the coin has struck into its edge a privy mark symbolising the lunar year of issue.

The mintage figures have been released for the 2013-2016 issues but the subsequent mintage figures are unknown.

The rarest of the lunar privy designs is the 2019 Pig. It's believed that a US pension company bought up the majority of these coins as an investment and very few have made it into the secondary market. If you are fortunate enough to see one for sale, they demand anywhere from £260 - £300!

Beyond this, the 2018 Dog privy appears to be the second most elusive, often selling upwards of £50 per coin.

Dis-continued - The Royal Mint have confirmed that the series has now been discontinued - "We did used to put a lunar privy mark on the side of the Britannia Bullion coins and have indeed stopped after 2020 which mean the year of the rat was the last one. There is currently no intention to carry on with this series"

Brilliant Uncirculated

Sometimes referred to as ‘BU’, ‘B.U.’, or ‘BUNC’, Brilliant Uncirculated Britannia coins are of a higher standard than the bullion coins. The dies used to strike Brilliant Uncirculated coins are polished and finished by hand and blanks are machine-fed and struck twice. Britannia coins sold as BU are individually boxed and sold in limited numbers, unlike the bullion which are supplied in tubes with an unlimited maximum mintage.

BU

In 2015 for the first time in history, the Royal Mint released a very special Limited Issue Britannia £50 Fifty Pound Silver Coin struck in solid fine .999 Silver weighing one ounce of fine pure Silver (sold in a sealed pack).

Plain Fields

From 2015 though to 2018, the Brilliant Uncirculated release of the Britannia featured a smooth background as opposed to the textured 'fields' of the bullion version.  Commonly referred to as smooth or plain fields. Although now rare, they do carry a premium and the 2015 Plain Fields is particularly difficult to find carrying the highest premium.

Special Editions

1999 'Y2K' Privy - See here for more information

In 1999 to commemorate the new millennium, a special set of coins was released featuring one ounce silver issues from Australia, USA,  England, China and Liberia. The coins all featured a Y2K Privy mark and 10,000 of each was issued. This Y2K privy edition was not an official release from the Royal Mint but was commissioned by another company (if you know which company, then get in touch!) These coins are extremely hard to source, with only a handful coming into the market over the past 4 years. Prices have varied from £50 through to £300!

2011 Matte

In 2011 it is reported that 2,337 Britannia's were released with a matte finish due to a production issue at the mint. All 2.337 were purchased by an American company and were graded. Approx. 800 were graded at MS70. These coins now fetch quite the premium.

2014 Mule

Some 2014 silver Britannia coins were struck with the incorrect obverse as there was a mix up during the manufacturing process with the 'Lunar' Year of the Horse coins from The Royal Mint, as both coins were to the same fineness and specification, and similar but not identical obverse sides. It is thought that there are around 17,000 examples with the mis-strike, which have been dubbed the 'Mule Britannia'

2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 'W16' Privy

Starting in 2015, BTN coins of Germany commissioned a set of 16 world famous silver ounces. Each coin was embossed with a 24k gold 'W16' privy mark. There were limited edition sets for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The set includes famous 1 oz coins from around the world, including the Britannia.

2017 20th Anniversary Chariot (1997-2017 Privy)

2017 One Ounce Silver Britannia coin celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Silver Britannia. This version of the Silver Britannia features a chariot design from the 1997 coin and unique rim with "1997 - 2017" etched on the side. This coin is made with .999 pure silver and weighs 31.10 grams. This 1oz silver Britannia coin has a different design than the normal issue Britannia and was issued in much lower numbers.

2017 Trident Privy

In 2017, a second 20th anniversary coin was also issued, displaying a trident '20' mint mark. Limited to a mintage of 120,000 coins.

2018 / 2019 / 2020 Oriental Border

The Royal Mint have released a limited version of the Britannia. This design varies from the usual Britannia with the addition of an 'Oriental Border', inspired by the Chinese-themed rooms at Buckingham Palace and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The Oriental Border variant ran for 3 years, from 2018 to 2020 and will not be continued. A proof version was only available for the 2018 version.

2023 The Coronation of King Charles III - Made to mark the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, the first crowned coinage portrait of His Majesty The King, with a limited mintage of 200,000.

2024 Britannia and Liberty - Celebrating the symbols of Britannia and Liberty together on a coin. Although not officially part of the 'Britannia' coin series, I have included this as a special edition. Also available in proof with a mintage limit of 12,300 coins.

Proof (1oz)

From 2013, the proof versions of the coin feature a different design each year, while the bullion version of the coin will always feature the classic standing Britannia. There were no proof Britannia coins issued in the years 1999, 2000 and 2002.

Pictured below are the 1 oz coins, the same designs were also available as fractional proof coins, including 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz.

Artists - Philip Nathan (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012) |  Christopher Le Brun (2007)  | John Bergdahl (2008)   Suzie Zamit (2010, 2016) |  David Mach (2011) |  Robert Hunt (2013) |  Jody Clark (2014) |  Anthony Dufort (2015)  | Louis Tamlyn (2017) |  David Lawrence (2018, 2019) | James Tottle (2020)   P. J. Lynch (2021) |  Dan Thorne (2022) | Jonathan Olliffe (2023)

Full Artist Breakdown available here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia_(coin)#Coin_Designs

Reverse Proof

Starting in 2016, the Royal Mint offered a 2 coin Britannia set featuring a 1oz silver proof edition alongside a 1oz reverse frosted proof edition. The areas that are normally frosted (on both the obverse and the reverse) are mirror-like surfaces on it, and those that are normally mirror-like are frosted. Extremely limited mintage. *Price guidelines are for the 2 coin set.

Fractional

1/10 oz Bullion

In 2006, the Royal Mint re-issued for the first time the "definitive" Standing Britannia type of tenth-ounce silver coin which was first issued in 1998. Struck in a tenth-ounce of 999 fine silver, this is the smallest silver coin in the Britannia range. 16.50mm diameter, 999 Silver.

1/4 oz S.S Garispoppa

The quarter-ounce silver Britannia from the Royal Mint has been struck from silver brought up from the wreck of the freighter SS Gairsoppa, recovered by the Odyssey Marine Exploration. Made from 0.999 silver and weighing 7.83 grams, the edge detail has the name of the ship struck into it. Mintage in this form is limited to 20,000 pieces.

1/2 oz Brilliant Uncirculated (Bullion)

2011, was the first (and only) year that the Britannia Silver half oz. bullion coin was minted. The silver bullion coin has the same proof-like finish as that of the 1oz. Britannia silver bullion coin. I do not believe that any other 1/2 ounce years have been available in bullion.

Fractional Proofs 1997 - Date

Although not pictured on this website, the proof Britannias were also available as factional coins. Sold in a set of 4 coins, alongside the one ounce, they included a half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce. The design of each proof coin was the same as the design listed above in the 'Proof' section.

Investors and Bars

5oz Proof

First released in 2013, these 5oz coins are targeted at bullion investors or collectors who appreciate the special editions as pieces of art. The coins are typically "one-year" types usually issued in parallel with smaller denominations with the same reverse designs.

10oz Bullion Bar

This substantial minted silver bar contains 10 troy ounces of 999 silver and is the second-largest bar in the Britannia range. The design features a new interpretation of Britannia, the spirit of a nation, brought to life by The Royal Mint’s Coin Design team and the Principle Designer Jody Clark.

10oz Bullion

The largest coin in the Britannia range, the 2021 Britannia 10 ounce silver coin, contains 311 grams of fine 999 silver.

20oz Anniversary Proof

2017 saw the first silver twenty-ounce coin issued in the United Kingdom; it was released to mark the twentieth anniversary of the silver Britannia range. The obverse features the classic effigy of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse features Britannia with Corinthian Helmet, shield and trident. Her body is comprised of the map of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This issue has the special 20th Anniversary Trident Privy mark located prominently to the right of Britannia.

2kg Proof

The 2021 Silver Proof 2kg Britannia is the first 2kg Britannia to be issued by the Royal Mint. The design by P J Lynch features a proud standing Britannia with the lion. The coin is made of 0.999 fine silver, and comes boxed with a certificate of authenticity.

100oz Bullion Bar

This is the largest silver bar available in the Britannia bar range and contains 100 troy ounces of 999 silver. The design is a new interpretation of Britannia, designed by The Royal Mint’s Coin Design team and brought together by Principle Designer Jody Clark.

Y2K Privy Series

Although not a Britannia set, the Y2K series is interesting so I wanted to include some additional information. The series was released back in 1999 to commemorate the new millennium, featuring one ounce silver issues from Australia, Canda, China, England, Liberia and USA. The coins all featured a special Y2K privy mark and only 10,000 of each were issued (with just 2,000 of the Liberia, which isn't stamped with Y2K but incorporates Y2K as part of its design).  It's believed that the Maple Y2K was limited to 5,000 but this is unconfirmed.

These coins are extremely difficult to source, occasionally appearing on eBay, the pricing varies from £50 through to upwards of £300. The Y2K Panda seems to be the most difficult to source, followed closely by the Britannia.

I have recently seen an original Y2K pack for sale on eBay and included photos below. As Canada was not included in this original pack, I assume that this was added at a later date. This is the only pack that I have ever seen for sale and I hope to have higher quality photos soon.

If you do have any information on this series, please do contact me on contact@britannia-uk.com!

Limited Edition Coloured

The following Britannias were not available directly from the Royal Mint but there are some great designs so I wanted to include those coins that were available on a limited edition basis.