Description

In October 2020, the Royal Mint unveiled the newest update to their beloved Britannia coin design. While artist Philip Nathan’s design remains, the mint has added several new security “elements” to make counterfeiting this coin almost impossible. The first element is an updated background wave design, which catches the light on the coin’s surface. The second security addition is the inclusion of smooth lines on Britannia’s shield. The third is a holographic image of a padlock in the bottom left, which transitions to a trident when you tilt the coin. Lastly, the minuscule Latin phrase “Decus Et Tutamen” (‘An ornament and a safeguard’) is etched along the inner rim of the coin.

The Britannia Silver Coin program started in 1997 and continues to be one of the most popular silver series from the British Royal Mint. The imposing and awe-inspiring figure of Britannia has historic origins in Roman mythology and is now widely known as the personification of the United Kingdom. As such, the Royal Mint decided to use this powerful image as the design for the Britannia Coins.