British Gold Sovereigns & Gold Britannia Coins

British Gold Sovereigns & Gold Britannia Coins at BGASC

The Royal Mint has a history spanning well over 1,000 years and has created some of the world’s most popular coins. These gold coins feature images and symbols directly tied to the monarchy or its history. Learn more about British Gold Sovereigns & Gold Britannia Coins, right here at BGASC.

British Gold Britannia Coins

The official gold bullion coin of Great Britain is the British Gold Britannia. This series debuted in 1987 and has always featured the image of Britannia on the reverse and the reigning British monarch on the obverse. Over the years, the obverse has consisted of the following designs.

• 1987-1997: Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Raphael Maklouf.
• 1998-2015: Queen Elizabeth II, created by Ian Rank-Broadley.
• 2016-2023: Queen Elizabeth II, created by Jody Clark.
• 2023-Present: King Charles III, designed by Martin Jennings.

The reverse has always seen Britannia displayed. Over the years, this has included many designs. However, the most well-known is Phillip Nathan’s depiction which shows Britannia in front-facing relief, holding her shield in one hand and her trident in the other.

These coins have been issued annually since they debuted. These coins are available in several unique sizes such as the following:

• 5 oz: £500
• 1 oz: £100
• 1/2 oz: £50
• 1/4 oz: £ 25
• 1/10 oz: £10
• 1/20 oz: £5

British Gold Sovereigns

British Gold Sovereigns were first introduced in 1489, making them one of Europe’s longest-running gold coin programs that is still available to the modern investor. Modern-era Gold Sovereigns though emerged in 1817. This came after the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

Starting in 1914, Gold Sovereigns were issued as a trade coin by the Royal Mint and were rarely used in commerce. This lasted until 1978. In 1979, these coins started to become issued as bullion coins and have been so ever since. These coins have a nominal face value of 1 Pound Sterling and are available in a proof version as well.

The obverse design of these coins follows the same timeline as the British Gold Britannia mentioned above. The reverse of most Gold Sovereigns issued since 1817, features St. George battling a dragon.

British Gold Tudor Beasts

This series started in 2022, after the conclusion of the British Queen’s Beasts series. The series focuses on the House of Tudor that ruled the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. The obverse field features the effigy of the reigning British monarch while the reverse showcases a Tudor Beast. The first three issues featured Queen Elizabeth II while the 4th coin, and on, showed King Charles III.

The Royal Mint through the first few months of 2024 has released the following designs in the Tudor Beasts Series:

• Seymour Panther
• Lion of England
• Yale of Beaufort
• Bull of Clarence
• Seymour Unicorn

British Gold Queen’s Beasts

The Queen’s Beasts series ran from 2016 to 2021. On Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, 10 statues were present at Westminster Abbey in 1953. These are known as the Queen’s Beasts and each has a tie to Queen Elizabeth II and her ancestry.

While the obverse has always seen Queen Elizabeth II, the reverse features one of the 10 beasts. In order, these have included the following:

• Lion of England
• Griffin of Edward II
• Red Dragon of Wales
• Unicorn of Scotland
• Black Bull of Clarence
• Falcon of the Plantagenets
• Yale of Beaufort
• White Lion of Mortimer
• White Horse of Hanover
• White Greyhound of Richmond.

Buying British Gold Sovereigns & Gold Britannia Coins at BGASC

For any inquiries about these British Gold Sovereigns & Gold Britannia Coins, contact the BGASC customer service team at 888-992-4272. Our team is also readily available via email or through our online chat feature as well.