King Charles III appears on his first bullion coin with the release of the Royal Mint’s perennial Britannia range

It isn’t long into 2023 that our wait for King Charles III effigy bullion coins has been satiated, and what better way than that most iconic of designs, the Royal Mint Britannia. A staple of the bullion market for decades, it, along with the American Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, and a select few others, are universal safe havens, and recognised globally as such.

Queen Elizabeth II has sat upon the obverse of these coins since they launched in 1987 in gold form, an unbroken 35-year run, but with her death last year, a change was required. Sitting there now is the new Martin Jennings penned effigy of Charles III, ironically looking quite like Charles I after his unfortunate encounter with a wood-chopping instrument… It is a terrific likeness, although the Royal Mint has always excelled in that regard, in our opinion.

No changes to the reverse design, with Philip Nathan’s now iconic artwork taking centre stage. The mint has ramped up the security of the coin over the last few years, with a lenticular trident privy being the most obvious example, although fine details in the background, and the Union flag shield, complement it, topped off with a micro-text ring. It all makes a successful counterfeit of the coin exponentially more difficult to pull off. These features apply to all the various variants in the range.

That range encompasses 0.999 silver coins of 1 oz and 1 kg weights, and 0.9999 gold in 1/10, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 oz sizes, all having unlimited mintages until the 2024 dated coins drop late this year. They’re reasonably priced, although avoid that 1 kg silver if value is paramount. A popular favourite (2022 sales were up 29% for silver and 25% for gold over an already record 2021) and the first time it’s been available with the same date, but with two different effigies. A unique opportunity.