Britannia Bullion Round

Beginning in 1987, the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom began producing bullion rounds in gold, and in 1997 began producing bullion rounds in silver. Initially, the silver bullion was minted from 95.8% Fine Silver (also known as "Britannia Silver").^[2] From 2013 onward, however, the bullion has been minted from 99.9% Fine Silver.


The obverse (front) of the bullion features a striking portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and encircled by "D.G. REG. F.D." which is an abbreviated Latin phrase for "Dei Gratia Regina, Fidei Defensor" which means "Queen, by the grace of God, and Defender of the Faith." The face value of "2 POUNDS" is stamped there, too, which is a bit of a mystery to me — SilverPrice.org lists the median "spot value" of one ounce of .999 Fine Silver during the year of this round's minting (2018) at USD $15.88 which equates to GBP £12.18, so it seems 10 or 12 Pounds would have been a more appropriate face value.


The reverse of the round features a beautiful representation of Lady Britannia, the personification of Britain. She holds a shield and a trident, and is wearing a Corinthian helmet.^[1] Around the rim of the piece is "BRITANNIA" followed by the year of minting and then "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."


There is a glorious sunburst behind Lady Britannia, which is very detailed and lovely! The edge is reeded, which coordinates nicely with the sunburst.


This bullion round was nicely struck, and is one of the shiniest pieces in my collection, although these photos by me don't begin to do justice to the way the piece looks in real life!