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The History of the British Silver Britannia Coin |
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In 1997, as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the first minting of gold bullion coins in 1987, the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom, in Llantrisant, South Wales, produced the first 1 ounce Silver Britannia coin, with a face value of £2. All of these Silver Britannias were struck in an alloy called Britannia silver, which contains 958 parts per thousand of silver. Britannia silver was an English metal standard set into law in 1697 by an Act of Parliament to replace the sterling silver standard. The first Silver Britannias minted in 1997 were released only as a proof set. The front of the coin shows the warrior Britannia riding in her chariot. The obverse of the coin has the official "Third Portrait" of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, showing the Queen wearing her Royal Diadem. |
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A newly designed set of Silver Britannias have been issued every year since 1997 -- the Queen's portrait on the obverse of all of these coins depict her wearing her tiara. The image of Britannia changes each year. In the even-numbered years from 1998 through and including 2006, these silver bullion coins have slightly varying depictions of a standing Britannia with a trident and large shield; in the odd-numbered years from 1999 through and including 2005, Britannia is shown in widely different poses: Only 11,832 silver proofs were minted for the 1997 set. Between 1998 and 2002, totals minted ranged from a low of 44,816 coins to a high of 88,909, with about 5,000 or so proofs each year. Starting in 2003, a standard output of 100,000 coins each year was instituted; 2007 saw the start of a standard output of 2500 proofs. Related articles: Austrian Silver Philharmonics The Mexican Silver Libertad Canadian Silver Maples American Silver Eagles Price of Silver Australian Silver Kookaburras Chinese Silver Pandas |
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By Buysilvercoins.org.uk Friday, June 03, 2011 - Site map - Privacy policy |