Gold Britannia

Gold Britannia History

Buy gold Britannia coins at low premiums above the global spot price. The Britannia is manufactured by The Royal Mint and is the most commonly purchased 1oz gold coin by UK bullion investors. Gold Britannias are popular with larger investors due to their status as British legal tender, meaning they are Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exempt.

The gold Britannia was initially struck in 22 carat purity (916.7 fineness) similar to the Sovereign, but since 2013 has been struck in 24 carat (999.9 fineness). Current year coins will come directly from The Royal Mint, while our Best Value and older coins will have been tested by our team to ensure authenticity.

The Britannia gold coin was introduced in 1987 following the abandonment of the gold standard, and the success of the Krugerrand. The Royal Mint saw demand for an official UK bullion coin was there, and the Britannia coin was born.

The Britannia 1oz gold coin has a face value of £100 making it one of the highest denomination coins of the realm, though it's true metal value is of course far higher. The Britannia is also available in half, quarter and tenth ounce sized coins, which have denomination values of £50, £25 and £10 respectively.

Read more on the various Britannia coin designs used over the years.

You may also be interested in:

• Silver Britannias
• Proof Britannia Coins (Gold)

Gold Britannia Price

Gold Britannia prices are derived from the value of the gold each coin contains. Each gold Britannia coin weighs 31.1 or 34.05 grams, and is struck to a purity of 22 carat or 24 carat (depending on the year), meaning they contain 31.10 grams of pure 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 gold Britannia coin will typically be based on today's gold price, with a small premium to cover the cost of manufacturing and supply of the coin. Older or rare gold Britannia coins can cost considerably more than the UK gold price. With the global price of gold being primarily calculated in dollars, periods in which the pound is weak versus the dollar will see UK gold Britannia prices rise, while a strong pound would see lower prices in the UK.

Our gold Britannia prices are displayed in real-time, updating every two minutes in-line with the current gold spot price. Investment gold is VAT-free, and the gold Britannia price shown includes fully insured delivery.

Gold Britannia Coin Specification

The gold Britannia coin is a British gold coin manufactured by the Royal Mint. British gold Britannia coins weigh 31.1g or 34.05g with a diameter of 32.6mm (2014 onwards). Gold Britannia coins are manufactured from 22 carat or 24 carat gold depending on the year of minting.

Gold Britannia Value

Investors often ask what is the value of a gold Britannia? British gold Britannia coins have a face value of 100 Pounds. It is important to note that the face value is a nominal amount that 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 a simple benchmark value for a gold Britannia thanks to the publicly available 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 gold Britannia might command a further premium. A lower mintage, or special design could see their value increase beyond their metal content.

The easiest way to work out a Gold Britannia value is to use its gold weight of 31.10 grams and multiply that by the current gold spot price in grams. Despite the coin having a purity of 916.7 or 999.9 fineness, all Britannia coins contain the same amount of gold, and the 24 carat gold Britannia value will give you an accurate price for all years of the coin.

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, exactly 1 troy ounce. If you see the gold price in troy ounces you can therefore work out how much a gold Britannia is worth quite quickly.