2024 Gold Britannia Coin: 6 Facts Investors Need to Know
Minted in Great Britain, Gold Britannia Coins are one of the most popular ways to invest in gold. Some investors love the look of this coin but know virtually nothing about the fascinating history that helped make the series a classic for stackers everywhere.
This is a shame, because the Gold Britannia has one of the most exciting histories in all of bullion. In fact, even the direction the King faces on the 2024 Gold Britannia gives investors a clue into 300+ years of British monarchy history.
Today, we’re outlining 6 facts about the 2024 Gold Britannia that we think every investor should know. At Hero Bullion, we’re all about history. Bullion coins give us glimpses into the culture and societies of the people who produce them. Quality gold coins merge beauty with culture to give investors an unprecedented look at the story of mankind.
And in this respect, the Gold Britannia is truly without peer.
What is a Gold Britannia?
The Gold Britannia is Great Britain’s most popular gold bullion coin. Gold Britannias first entered the gold market in 1987, and they’ve been a hit ever since. Each coin features a design on the front and back – often called the obverse and reverse.
The obverse of a Gold Britannia pays respect to the current monarch of Great Britain. Since the series only started production in 1987, Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch on the obverse of Gold Britannia Coins for most of the lifespan of the collection.
Queen Elizabeth no longer appears on Gold Britannia Coins, though. Starting in 2024, the British Royal Mint began producing Gold Britannias with a new man on the obverse – King Charles III.
The reverse of the Gold Britannia is where the coin gets its name. Lady Britannia appears on the reverse side of each Gold Britannia Coin. Britannia is the feminine personification of Great Britain, and she comes with her own history dating back over 1,000 years.
Who Produces the Gold Britannia Coin?
Gold Britannia Coins are exclusively produced by the British Royal Mint. Leveraging sophisticated minting technology and unparalleled artistry, Britain’s national mint has distributed Gold Britannia Coins since 1987.
History Lesson – The British Royal Mint
Some coin historians mistakenly refer to the British Royal Mint as the oldest mint in the world. In fact, the distinction of ‘oldest mint’ actually goes to France’s national mint, the Monnaie de Paris. The Royal British Mint is the second oldest mint in the world; it first opened its doors to the public in 886 AD!
6 Things Investors Might Not Know About the Gold Britannia
There are several things that investors might not know about the Gold Britannia Coin. For the most part, gold stackers already know everything there is to know about the coin’s appearance, gold content, and basic history.
If investors dig a bit deeper, there’s a treasure trove of fascinating facts about the 2024 Gold Britannia that can help them better understand why the coin remains such an indispensable weapon in the gold coin collector’s arsenal.
1. The Britannia Symbol is Over 1,000 Years Old
The Britannia symbol appears on the reverse side of all Gold Britannia Coins. She wears a flowing gown and her traditional war helmet. This feminine personification of Britain also carries both a shield and a trident.
Most gold stackers recognize Britannia from the classic Gold Britannia Coin. Her actual history dates back far further than the premier of the Gold Britannia in 1987. The first people in history who used Britannia to represent England actually weren’t British at all – they were Roman.
Tracing the Origin of Lady Britannia
During the 2nd century AD, Romans began using the Britannia symbol on many of their silver and gold coins. Rome didn’t control Britain forever, obviously. After England won its independence, the symbol experienced a revival. King Charles II is credited with bringing Britannia back to coinage.
Under Charles II’s leadership, British Pounds Sterling began to be minted with the classic image of Lady Britannia. On England’s version of Britannia, her shield bears the British flag.
The image has stuck ever since and appears on all Gold Britannia Coins. Some investors might not know that the image on the reverse side of their Gold Britannias dates all the way back to 200 AD!
2. Gold Britannia Coins Debuted in 1987
Like many other modern bullion coins, the first release of the Gold Britannia Coin came at the end of the 1980s. In 1987, the British Royal Mint officially began minting British Gold Britannia Coins.
In the 37 years since then, the coin had made its way into the hands of hundreds of thousands of collectors. Like other world coins, part of the Gold Britannia’s appeal comes from the coin’s meticulous design, cultural symbolism, and technological innovation.
But the Gold Britannia wasn’t the only major world coin that premiered in the late 1980s. It was met with fierce competition from
Fierce Coin Competition in the Late 1980s
When the Gold Britannia first came out in 1987, it certainly wasn’t the first sovereign gold coin to hit the scene. It was preceded by three different coins from massive government mints. The oldest of these coins is the Canadian Maple Leaf, which was released by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1979.
Just one year before the Gold Britannia made its popular debut in international markets, gold stackers were offered national gold coins from both Australia and the United States. The U.S.’s attempt at dominating the gold market came in the form of the Gold Eagle, which is still minted today and premiered officially in 1986.
The Australian Gold Kangaroo is another coin released around the same time as the Gold Britannia Coin. It hit shelves in 1986, the same year that gold collectors got to witness the first coin in a decades-long succession of Gold Eagles.
One year after the Gold Britannia grabbed hold of investor interests, Austria decided to enter the fray. The Austrian Mint released the ever-popular Vienna Philharmonic gold Coin in 1989.
3. Gold Britannia Coins Are About the Same Size as Gold Eagles
Good news for Gold Eagle stackers: Gold Britannias are just about the same diameter as Gold Eagles of the same weight. Technically, the Gold Britannia is a bit smaller than the Gold Eagle. Gold Britannias clock in at a diameter of 32.69mm, while the Gold Eagle is sized at 32.70mm.
The small width difference shouldn’t be too much of an issue, though. Because Gold Eagle storage supplies are such a popular choice for investors, it’s great to see other gold bullion coins that will fit in the same cases, protectors, and tubes.
Why Coin Diameter Matters
Investors should never try to shove a coin into a case that doesn’t fit. Gold coins are expensive investments, and damaging them can destroy their collectability quickly. Collectors like to stack coins of similar diameters because it gives them more storage options without the risk of damaging their coins.
4. 2024 is the First “King-Type Only” Year for the Gold Britannia
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death, King Charles III became the King of England. For coin collectors, this means that his likeness would appear on subsequent coins minted the the Royal British Mint.
In 2023, the Royal Mint released both King and Queen-Type Gold Britannia Coins. Investors were able to choose which design they wanted to purchase last year. But in 2024, King Charles III made his debut as the sole monarch available for Gold Britannia coin designs.
Why Do British Coins Have the King on Them?
British tradition dictates that the current monarch of Britain should be featured on all coins produced by the country. In fact, the presence of the British monarch on coinage doesn’t even stop in England. Mints that were once subsidiaries of the Royal Mint also pay homage to the country’s monarch on their gold, silver, and platinum coins.
Popular examples of this phenomenon include the Canadian Maple and Australian Kangaroo. Both of these countries have been independent for several decades or more, but their bullion coins still include King Charles III on the obverse.
Before 2023, British Gold Britannia Coins only featured one monarch: Queen Elizabeth II. But in British tradition, she passed the crown to Charles III after her death. In other words, it’s not Charles III’s turn to show off his smile (or frown) on Gold Britannia Coins.
5. New Monarchs on British Coinage “Flip Sides”
Gold Britannia Coins still feature a monarch on their obverse, but savvy stackers will notice something odd about his portrait. After three decades of Britain’s ruler facing toward the right side of the coin in their portrait, Charles now faces to the left.
For longtime fans of the Gold Britannia series, this is a shocking change. But for students of history, it actually reveals yet another little-known fact about the Gold Britannia – and about gold’s role in legitimizing royal authority.
A Centuries-Old Tradition
Interestingly enough, this design choice is part of another tradition that started with the reign of King Charles II. Charles II wanted to demonstrate that he was the new, righteous heir to the British throne. What better way to do this than with coins, a form of portraiture that almost every citizen sees every day?
Charles II mandated that his portrait face toward the opposite direction of his predecessor. As with many traditions in Great Britain, it stuck! Today, each monarch’s portrait on coinage faces the opposite direction of the leader who came before them.
Who would have known that the 2024 Gold Britannia’s would give investors such a fascinating history lesson?
6. It’s One of the Most Secure Coins in the World
The Royal Mint is one humanity’s oldest mints, which has given it plenty of time to create the most secure gold coins in the world. The Gold Britannia offers a laundry list of impressive security features to help deter counterfeiters.
This is good news, too. The counterfeit gold coin industry rakes in millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors every year. As counterfeiting operations become more sophisticated, mints must adopt evolving security measures to oppose their efforts.
2024 Gold Britannia Security Features
The 2024 Gold Britannia includes four security features to help give investors an added layer of assurance.
Security features for the 2024 Gold Britannia include:
- Micro-text to make it harder for counterfeiters to replicate the tiny, almost invisible writing hidden inside of the Gold Britannia’s designs.
- Latent image technology, which is basically a hologram. If you rotate the reverse of the Gold Britannia Coin, the trident will appear to shift into a padlock. Thieves have a hard time adding this feature to their fake Gold Britannias.
- Tincture lines are a notoriously difficult design to pull off on coins. These lines are nearly impossible to replicate with accuracy, allowing seasoned coin collectors to easily tell if their Gold Britannia is a fake.
- A state-of-the-art surface animation provides even further protection against counterfeiting efforts.
Are Gold Britannia Coins a Good Investment?
Gold Britannia Coins are one of the most popular ways to invest in gold coins. Some Britannia Coins are sold at high premiums, so investors should shop around to find reasonable prices for their next gold coin.
The high global demand for Gold Britannia Coins makes it one of the easiest ways for new investors to buy highly liquid, easy-to-resell gold coins. Tight buy-sell spreads characterize the series, which has dominated part of the global gold coin market for decades.
Final Thoughts: 6 Facts About the 2024 Gold Britannia Every Investor Should Know
Despite its popularity, most investors know very little about the fascinating history of the Gold Britannia series. By learning some of the key facts about the 2024 Gold Britannia, investors can get a better understanding of just why this coin has become such a powerhouse within the gold coin market.
Hero Bullion sells a wide range of low premium Gold Britannia Coins, including the brand new 2024 Gold Britannia Coin. Check out our competitive prices at the top of this page!
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About The Author
Michael Roets
Michael Roets is a writer and journalist for Hero Bullion. His work explores precious metals news, guides, and commentary.