95.8% Pure Silver
The largest and purest UK legal tender coin, the Britannia coin is struck by the Royal Mint from 1oz of 95.8% Britannia silver.
Historic Design
Selected especially for the Silver Jubilee Celebrations, the 2012 Britannia coin features Philip Nathan’s famed portrait of Britannia.
United Kingdom Legal Tender
Depicting the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse, the coin is issued as legal tender of the United Kingdom.
Presentation Packaging
The coin is housed in an attractive gift box with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Britannia Silver
The Britannia £2 coin has been struck in Britannia silver, an alloy of silver containing 95.8% silver and the rest copper. The Britannia standard of silver was introduced as part of the recoinage of William III in 1696 in an attempt to limit the clipping and melting of sterling silver coinage, it being reasoned that there would be less incentive to melt sterling silver when a higher standard was used for 'wrought plate'. In 1697, Britannia silver became the obligatory standard for items of plate and the lion passant guardant hallmark was replaced with 'the figure of a woman commonly called Britannia'. Sterling silver was approved again for use by silversmiths in 1720 with Britannia silver remaining optional.