The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is a UK Government-owned institution that is over 1000 years old. Prior to its creation, there were several mints that operated in the UK. However, they all became centralised, forming The Royal Mint, in order to produce coins for Great Britain and the British Empire. The Royal Mint was originally located in the Tower of London for 800 years before moving to Royal Mint Court located in South Wales.
The Royal Mint changed its structure in 2009 and is now owned by HM Treasury. Over the past 11 years, The Royal Mint has invested significantly in its business activities. The mint now has a greater interest in international bullion trade (exporting to around 60 countries per year, totalling 70% of annual sales), and it now has a large £9m visitor centre.
The Royal Mint exclusively provides the UK’s coinage. It also sells a range of commemorative coins celebrating historical events and public figures in a range of legal tenders, usually as 50p, £1, £2 and £5 coins.
The mint is a quality-focused organisation, holding many accreditations and receiving numerous awards for employee support and business management, such as: ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, and Investors in People.
Commemorative Coins
The Royal Mint has several ranges of commemorative coins. First is Great Britons, which celebrates well-known British people including David Bowie, Elton John, Beatrix Potter, Samuel Pepys, Stephen Hawking, William Wordsworth, Captain Cook, and Rosalind Franklin.
Second is Childhood Characters, which celebrates iconic British characters found in books and on TV such as Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Peter Rabbit, The Gruffalo, Paddington Bear, Wallace and Gromit, and The Snowman.
Third is Royalty including Sovereign 2021, The Tower of London, Queen Victoria, and George III.
Fourth is Military, coins used to commemorate remembrance anniversaries such as Remembrance Day, The end of the Second World War, The 75th anniversary of VE Day, Armistice, The 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Fifth is British Interest, which consists of coins that commemorate British culture: Mayflower, Withdrawal from the European Union 2020, Diversity Built Britain, British Red Cross, Great British Coin Hunt, The Dinosauria Collection, The Representation of the People Act, Wedgwood, Royal Academy.
Due to the variety, number and beauty of the coins, many people like to collect them. The commemorative coins are available in a range of options: standard coins, which are the common legal tender coins, such as 50p and £2 coins that have been imprinted with a particular design to commemorate a person or event; and bullion coins, which have the same shape and style as standard coins but are made of silver or gold bullion.
The bullion coins are also legal tender at face value, meaning you could use them to purchase something in a shop, for example — though it is unlikely anyone would be willing to exchange a valuable coin made of gold for some groceries in a shop.
Tax Benefits
One of the main benefits of purchasing The Royal Mint gold is that it is free of VAT, and the legal tender coins are free of Capital Gains Tax. This means you get more gold when you buy and keep more profits when you sell.
Precious Metal Investments
The Royal Mint offers several services aimed at investors. The mint offers secure storage for anyone who does not want to have the bullion delivered; there is an investment service called Mint Marque Invest, which offers trading and investment services; and the mint offers a pension service in which people can get up to 45% in tax relief investing in The Royal Mint bullion through a Self-Investment Pension Plan (SIPP) or a Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS).
Collector Services
The Royal Mint is not only involved in providing legal tender and bullion coins, but also rare and historic coins, and the mint offers a number of services to those who collect these types of coins.
The Royal Mint sells historic coins, consisting of old numismatic coins and old bullion coins. The coins range in age from decades to hundreds of years. However, numismatic coin collecting is a specialist field.
If you are a specialist in this area, the mint also provides a coin finding service. The mint networks with other mints and specialist dealers around the world, so if you are searching for a rare coin, the mint could help you track it down and obtain it.
They offer authentication and valuation services too. If you happen upon some old sovereigns or discover some ancient Roman coins, The Royal Mint will help you authenticate the coins and give you a valuation of how much they are worth.
Finally, the mint offers secure storage, both for valuable items purchased from them and for valuable items not purchased from them, such as wills. Their service ranges from £245–£595 per year.
Here at UK Bullion we can also provide secure storage for your bullion. You can store your coins and bars with our fully insured, low-cost service, often with a free introductory period. Your bullion is individually segregated and fully allocated. You can sell to us or request physical delivery at any time. Find out more here.
Buy The Royal Mint Bullion
At UKBullion.com we offer a variety of The Royal Mint bullion, including gold Sovereigns, gold and Silver Britannias and gold and silver coins from the Queen’s Beasts range. We also offer luxurious display boxes, which you can use to protect and present each of your bullion bars or coins.
Interested in buying The Royal Mint products? Find out more here