The Royal Mint is one of the world’s foremost mints, producing gold bullion that investors trust across the world. All products from its production facilities are backed by the government and tested to the highest standards before going out for sale.
They are becoming quite popular as bullion coins are legal tender and exempt from capital gains tax for UK residents. You can have your coins delivered directly to you or stored securely at The Vault – Royal Mint’s modern storage facility, but there are a few options you should know about, first.
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The Sovereign
The Sovereign coin from The Royal Mint and precious metals investment has long been one of their flagship options, drawing investors from all over the globe with its reliable quality while remaining highly collectible design. Investors from around the globe take pleasure in collecting it.
Since 1817, the modern Sovereign has been produced continuously since 1817 with a variety of designs featured. Most recently on its obverse was Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley while its reverse featured Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George and Dragon design – with additional commemorative designs sometimes appearing on these pieces to increase collector demand even further.
Though production ceased during World War I, Sovereigns made their comeback in 1957 and continued until 1982 when production stopped altogether; proof Sovereigns continue to be produced annually as investments. Since their return, bullion Sovereigns have become incredibly popular investments among collectors.
Gold Sovereigns were historically made at both the Royal Mint London and at other branch mints around the world, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, and India. Coins produced at each mint can be identified using their unique mint mark – usually represented by one single letter stamped onto the design of each coin from these mints – enabling collectors to easily spot these treasured coins that often fetch high auction prices.
When creating new coins for Her Majesty’s Sovereign, an advisory committee at The Royal Mint develops a list of themes for consideration by the monarchy, with coin designers then creating draft designs which are presented to the Queen and Chancellor for approval before production starts. This process is crucial since Her Majesty ultimately holds ultimate responsibility in either accepting or rejecting coin designs before their production begins.
To find the ideal coin design, the Royal Mint holds competitions among members of the public or professional designers, and then uses the winning design to produce a prototype and cast it into the finished product. Production at this rate typically tops two million coins annually! These include both bullion and commemorative coins.
The Britannia
The Royal Mint is one of the largest and most advanced coin production facilities in Western Europe, boasting a capacity that dwarfs any competition and is responsible for producing nearly thirty billion coins annually and more gold bullion than any other producer worldwide. They employ hundreds of local people, creating opportunities and providing local jobs.
Britannia, an iconic female figure featured on many British coins throughout history, first made her first appearance on a farthing in 1672 and remained there until 1936; Victoria eventually replaced her on halfpenny but eventually, she made a comeback to penny coinage again in 1837. Its current design by sculptor Philip Nathan depicts Britannia holding a trident, olive branch, and Union Jack shield.
Britannia, the figurehead of British culture, has become a cultural symbol for Britain over time. Her image appears on various products including the Brit Awards statuette and even jewelry pieces. Britannia symbolizes strength and power – representing Britain’s wealth and influence – while serving as a protector of the British Isles.
The Royal Mint is a publicly owned company owned by the Crown through an executive agency known as the Royal Mint Trading Fund (https://www.gov.uk/royal-mint). Although once threatened with privatization when Alistair Darling and George Osborne served as chancellors, these plans ultimately were shelved as proof that public ownership can produce quality, innovation, and millions of savings to the public purse each year.
The Lunar Series
The Lunar Series brings Chinese culture and tradition together with exceptional British craftsmanship in twelve dazzlingly designed coins that offer investors and collectors something truly collectible: gold bullion coins with different designs each year to represent one of China’s Zodiac Animals.
In 1996, the first Lunar Series coins were unveiled, featuring unique designs for each animal in the Chinese zodiac. Following its success, other mints began producing lunar-themed collections of their own; many countries and mints offer stunning gold bullion coins with unique zodiac-related designs each year.
On each coin is featured Wuon-Gean Ho’s sixth-generation effigy of Queen Elizabeth II designed specifically for the 2020 Year of the Rat. Her design draws upon traditional woodblock prints once used to make Chinese calendars and astrological calendars.
While each coin in this series includes Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, each reverse features a unique design for every coin in that series. According to this Royal Mint Bullion review, these coins are among the most popular. Shengxiao Series III coins feature the powerful Tiger creature surrounded by some of his favorite things including trees, mountains, and bamboo stalks.
Other coins feature equally captivating designs – for the Ox coin designer Harry Brockway took inspiration from eighteenth-century British paintings depicting prize cattle to portray it within an English countryside setting.
The Shengxiao Collection
The Royal Mint’s gold Shengxiao series is a legal tender bullion coin set that follows one complete cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar. It offers investors who seek physical gold coins as part of their portfolio an innovative and sought-after option; competing directly against Perth Mint’s prized Australian Lunar series while providing rare collectible coins to add rare to collectible assets to their asset base.
The Shengxiao (Sheng Xiao) Series first made its debut in 2014, uniting centuries of British craftsmanship and artistic skills with Chinese tradition. Each coin in this series depicts one animal from the Chinese Zodiac; those born under that sign are believed to possess qualities associated with that sign.
The Shengxiao Series pays homage to China’s rich cultural heritage and its thousands of British-Chinese citizens living here in Britain. Britain has maintained long-standing relations with China; for instance, exercising control of Hong Kong for much of the 20th century before returning it to PRC rule; therefore, this series provides an exquisite way to remember this important history and also invest in your future.