British Platinum Coins

British Platinum Coins from the Royal Mint of England

The Royal Mint of England has a coining history that stretches back of one thousand years, and for much of that history, the mints in the Royal Mint system were responsible for striking silver and gold coins. In 2017, the Royal Mint took its first steps into the world of platinum coin production. The first of these platinum coins debuted in the Queen’s Beast Collection and were quickly followed by the nation’s official coin series, the British Britannia.

The Symbol of a Nation

Britannia is arguably the most significant imagery on British coins behind that of the reigning monarch. The term “Britannia” emerged in the 1^st century AD as the Roman Empire moved northward off the European continent for the first time to try and conquer the British Isles. Though the Romans would not be successful in conquering the whole of England, Scotland, and Wales, the empire would bring most of the island under its control. Britannia was the term applied to the new province on the island during Roman rule.

From there, Britannia came to take on various meanings. At times, Britannia was used to refer to the people of the island. Most significantly, Britannia was the name given to a mythical figure and female personification of the nation charged with the defense of the British Isles against outside invaders.

British Platinum Britannia Bullion Coins

The British Britannia coins from the Royal Mint debuted in 1987 as a gold bullion coin and expanded in 1997 to include a silver bullion coin. For the first time in Royal Mint history, the Britannia series was made available in .9995 pure platinum with the introduction of the 2018 British Platinum Britannia. The 2018 Platinum Britannia coins were issued in 1 oz pure platinum and 1/10 oz pure platinum in 2018.

On the reverse of these British Platinum Britannia coins is the familiar Philip Nathan design created in 1987 for the Gold Britannia. The figure of Britannia stands tall and defiant on the nation’s southern coast. She wears a Corinthian helmet on her head and wields a staff to control the seas in her right hand. Her left hand clutches an olive branch of peace and a shield emblazoned with the Union Jack, Great Britain’s official flag.

The obverse of the 2018 British Platinum Britannia coins includes the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. These coins are available only with the fifth-generation image of Her Majesty. Depicting the reigning monarch at the age of 89, this design was created in 2015 by Jody Clark, a Royal Mint Engraver. The Royal Mint’s new guilloche background design reflecting braided ribbons is included on the background field of the obverse.

Other Details of the British Platinum Britannia Coins

All British Platinum Britannia coins are available with .9995 pure platinum. The 1 oz coin has a face value of £100 (GBP) while the 1/10 oz coin has a face value of £10 (GBP) issued by the government of Great Britain. The 1 oz Platinum Britannia is available to you in protective plastic flips, mint tubes of 10 coins, or Monster Boxes of 100 coins packaged in 10 tubes of 10 coins. The 1/10 oz Platinum Britannia also comes in protective flips for individual coins, with mint tubes of 25 coins or mint-sealed boxes of 500 coins with 20 tubes of 25 coins.

A New Collection Emerges in 2016

The Queen’s Beast Series of bullion coins from the Royal Mint debuted in 2016. The collection features a total of 10-planned designs reflecting the heraldic beasts present at the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The coin series began with a 2 oz silver bullion coin available and two weights in gold: ¼ oz and 1 oz. The series enjoyed almost immediate success, with investors and collectors rushing to snap up the new designs as they were released.

In response to the popularity of the Queen’s Beast bullion coins, the Royal Mint opted to expand the options for those investing in precious metals to include additional weights in the existing metals and even offer a new metallic option. The British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins were issued one year after the launch of the collection with 1 oz platinum coins struck in all of the designs in the series.

Significance of the British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins

When the Royal Mint introduced the new Queen’s Beast Series in 2016, it was a groundbreaking program for the mint from the moment the Lion of England design was issued. This was due to the fact that each design has a 2 oz silver bullion option available. For the first time in Royal Mint history, it had issued a silver bullion coin in a 2 Troy oz weight. Now, with the addition of the British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins, the Royal Mint was set to break the mold again. The 2017 introduction of the Lion of England design on a British Platinum Queen’s Beast coin marked the first-ever issuance of a platinum bullion coin by the Royal Mint.

Designs of the British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins

The Royal Mint has 10 designs in the Queen’s Beast Series, with each one reflecting a beast from the rich history of the Royal Arms of England. Stretching back nearly 1,000 years, these creatures have featured on private seals, coats of arms, and countless other symbols toted around by the ruling monarchs of England. The bullion series of coins originally launched in 2016 followed a different release schedule than the proof series (launched later) followed. In the release of the British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins, the Royal Mint opted to follow the design release schedule it initiated with the bullion versions of the coin.

As a result, the British Platinum Queen’s Beast coins debuted in 2017 with the Lion of England and then followed the same schedule as its silver and gold counterparts. The coins in the series are listed below:

• 2017 Lion of England: Originating in 1127 with Geoffrey Plantagenet’s marriage to the daughter of King Henry I, Matilda, the Lion of England is an icon to the nation’s people.
• 2018 Griffin of Edward III: The Griffin was the personal seal of Edward III, King of England for more than 50 years.
• 2018 Red Dragon of Wales: Original accounts of the dragon of Wales are attributed to Cadwallader, the legendary king of Gwynedd. Henry VII carried the Red Dragon on his battle standard and Henry VIII featured the red dragon on a field of green and white on his naval vessels.
• The Unicorn of Scotland: A symbol of the mystical symbol of Scotland, the Unicorn joined the Lion of England in the Royal Arms during the reign of King James I of England, the man who united the thrones of England and Scotland.
• The Black Bull of Clarence: The bull is attributed to Edward IV, the first King of England from the House of York. Though his brother Richard III would be the last Yorkist king, the legacy of the Black Bull of Clarence lived on for 200 years both before his reign and after during the House of Tudor’s rule.
• The Falcon of the Plantagenets: The Plantagenet king Edward III passed the Falcon into the royal arms, with the symbol also closely associated to his great-grandson Edward IV.
• The White Lion of Mortimer: A symbol also associated with Edward IV, the White Lion of Mortimer came to Edward IV through his grandmother, heiress to the Mortimer line.
• The Yale of Beaufort: This symbol came from Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of England’s King Henry VII.
• The White Greyhound of Richmond: Often associated with the first Tudor king Henry VII, the greyhound is closely associated with Richmond of Yorkshire and it was Henry’s father who created the Early of Richmond in 1453.
• The White Horse of Hanover: Queen Anne was the last of the Stuarts and passed the throne to George of Hanover, who later ruled as George I. The horse is a powerful symbol in Kent, where it is said that the first horses were brought into the country by Saxon invaders.

All British Platinum Queen’s Beast Coins feature the obverse design of Queen Elizabeth II in a fifth-generation portrait from Jody Clark of the Royal Mint. The coins are available with 1 Troy oz of .9995 pure platinum content. Each one has a face value of £100 (GBP) backed by Great Britain. The coins are available in protective flips for individual purchases, mint tubes of 10 coins, or mint boxes containing 100 coins in total.

British Platinum Royal Arms

Debuting in 2019, the British Royal Arms Series has quickly gained prominence among Royal Mint enthusiasts. The series features a beloved depiction of the Royal Arms of England on its reverse and started with only 1 oz silver and 1 oz gold options. In 2020, the series expanded in several ways to include a 1/10 oz gold coin, a 10 oz silver coin, and these 1 oz platinum coins. All of the coins share the same obverse and reverse designs, as follows:

• Obverse: Jody Clark’s fifth-generation effigy of Queen Elizabeth II features on the obverse side of British Platinum Royal Arms coins. Her Majesty’s effigy is shown in right-profile relief with the George IV State Diadem Crown on her head and the Royal Mint’s guilloche background element behind the portrait.
• Reverse: Timothy Noad’s exceptionally-detailed version of the Royal Arms of England is found on the reverse of British Platinum Royal Arms coins. The design shows the coat of arms for the monarch, with the quartered shield boasting the Three Lions of England in the first and fourth quadrants, the Lion of Scotland in the second quadrant, and the Harp of Ireland in the third. The crowned Lion of England supports the shield on the left, while the Unicorn of Scotland supports it from the right. The shield is topped by the Imperial State Crown, a piece from within the official Crown Jewels of England.

The coins in this series have 1 Troy oz of .9995 pure platinum, a face value of 100 Pound sterling (GBP), and no set mintage. The platinum coins arrive in either protective plastic flips or tubes of 10 coins.

Buy British Platinum Coins from JM Bullion

If you have any questions about the platinum products in this series, please contact JM Bullion. Our customer service team is available to you at 800-276-6508, online using our live chat, and via our email address. You can also find updated platinum prices listed on our website at all times!