UK Silver Coins Overview
For investors looking to build a diversified portfolio of precious metals products, silver coins can certainly play an important role. Silver coins are relatively more affordable than gold or platinum, and can be bought at local coin shops or from online dealers. If you are looking to add different types of silver coins to your portfolio, then UK silver coins may be worth considering.
UK silver coins feature some of the finest coin designs available. Some UK silver coins feature designs commemorating important historical events or the monarchy.
The Royal Mint is reportedly the world’s leading export mint, producing various coins and medals for some 60 countries each year. The Royal Mint is tasked with making and distributing UK coins and official medals, as well as supplying blanks. The mint is headquartered in Llantrisant, South Wales, and it employs over 900 people. The mint has the capability to produce 90 million coins and blanks per week, with amounts to nearly five billion coins per year. The Royal Mint is a government owned company.
One of the most popular silver coins produced by The Royal Mint is the 1 ounce Silver British Silver Britannia coin. This coin features a design of the iconic goddess Britannia, famed guardian of Britain. The coin’s obverse features the profile portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This popular UK silver coin contains 1 troy ounce of .999 percent fine silver, and is considered good, legal tender with a face value of 2 GBP. British Silver Britannia coins debuted in 1997, featuring the same designs as the gold Britannia which debuted in 1989. Until 2012, the silver coin contained less silver-with a .958 purity. All issues since that time have contained .999 percent fine silver.
For smaller investors or those on a tight budget, there are smaller weight UK silver coins available as well. The ¼ ounce S.S. Gairsoppa British Silver Britannia Coin contains ¼ ounce of .999 fine silver. The smaller silver content of this coin makes it relatively more affordable compared to 1 ounce weight coins.
For those looking to get more silver, there are also a number of 2 ounce coins available. The 2 ounce British Silver Queen’s Beast Unicorn Coin is a higher purity silver coin-packing 2 ounces of 999.9 percent fine silver. These coins are also produced by The Royal Mint, and are considered good, legal tender with a face value of 5 GBP. Like other UK coinage, they also pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
UK silver coins are easily transported, and can be stored in a home safe, a bank safe deposit box or in the depository of your choice. These silver coins can provide an excellent value to investors and collectors, with reasonable premiums over spot and strong liquidity for many products.
For more serious collectors, numerous UK silver coins are also available in proof finish. These coins are in excellent physical condition and have been thoroughly inspected for any flaws or defects.