2019 Britannia Half Ounce Gold Coin

2019 Gold 1/2oz Britannia Coin

The Britannia remains the most popular coin for collectors and investors alike since its introduction in 1987. This is a gold bullion coin issued by The Royal Mint.

The Britannia is produced in a variety of sizes ranging from the tiny tenth ounce, to the Sovereign-sixed Quarter ounce, the Half ounce and the large 1oz coin. The Mint also produces the 1oz coin in fine silver for the past two decades, which like the gold version, is a favourite amongst UK investors.

This Gold Half Ounce coin is struck in 999.9 fineness 24 carat gold. The coin was originally launched in 1987 as a 22 carat coin, with an alloy mix of copper and silver for optimum resilience. However, the purity was increased to 24 carat from 2013 to appeal to the growingly important Asian market.

This 1/2oz version of the full Britannia is identical in design to the 1oz version, containing the Philip Nathan design of Britannia on one side and the Jody Clark portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

It has a face value of £50 which qualifies it as legal tender and therefore any value gains are completely free from any Capital Gains Tax.

Our Expert Opinion

The Britannia 2019 Half oz coin strikes an excellent balance for those seeking superb value but want smaller or more coins than just the regular one-ounce version. For the investor, it offers the chance to own a brand new Royal Mint coin at low premiums as its mass-produced to bullion finish. So you’re not paying extra for a proof finish or flashy presentation box.

Being half the size of it’s one-ounce big brother, provides greater divisibility and the chance to own more coins than simply sticking with the standard 1oz. It shares all the design elements of the larger coin, but more importantly, features its own £50 face value. As an investment, this qualifies for tax free status, boosting any future returns.

For those interested in coin collections and numismatic coins, these clearly don’t offer any history. If this is your interest and building a mixed collection is your objective, you may wish to consider some of the pre-owned Sovereign coins which are around half the size again, but can be bought from a range of periods, including Elizabethan, Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian. The fact that the Britannia motif is updated every couple of years, does mean these gold coins do enjoy a degree of collectability, which could be a catalyst to boost value in the future.