1 oz Silver Britannia Oriental Border (2019)

Oriental Border Silver Britannia

This is a 2019 1oz special edition Silver Britannia coin, featuring a stunning oriental border and following on from last year’s successful reception of the coin. Coins will be packed loose for small orders, in foil packs of 20, or monster boxes of 500. The coin is limited in issue to 100,000 pieces and is minted to 999 purity. The obverse features the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth by renowned artist Jody Clark, sat on the same dimpled background of the standard issue Britannia. While the reverse of the coin offers the familiarity of Philip Nathan’s 1987 design of the iconic Britannia holding a trident and shield, the coin’s unique edging stands it apart from all others. The complexity of the coin design is completed by a radial background in between the border and Britannia. Like other silver Britannias, the Oriental Border edition boasts a £2 face value.

Why an oriental border design?

The intricate oriental border is inspired by the famous Royal Pavillion in Brighton and the Chinese-themed rooms within Buckingham Palace itself. This coin design and launch is perhaps the most obvious nod towards the growing Chinese market yet. The Royal Mint’s increasing recognition of the powerful Asian market has been demonstrated since 2013. Traditionally the mint could be accused of a more inward-looking approach, where the international demand came purely from those admiring the heritage and style of British made goods. However, with the massive population in China already holding a penchant for precious metals, and the middle classes swelling, the mint have looked to exploit the opportunity of circulating their coins into this region. In 2013 they updated the purity of both the silver and gold Britannias to 24 carat. Anyone in the know recognised this move as a strategy to appeal to the Asian market, where 22 carat coins simply don’t cut the mustard. All their 1oz coins have been minted to 24 carat purity ever since.

The well-received silver Lunar series, a collection of silver bullion coins combining British manufacturing standards, the UK monarch and celebrating the Chinese Lunar calendar, took another step closer to bridging the gap with China. That series has proven popular the world over, but the acknowledgement of the Chinese market is obvious.

Our Expert Opinion

While the Oriental Border silver Britannia coins do cost a premium over the standard Britannia, it’s a much smaller premium than was present with 2017’s 20th-anniversary coin. As a collector’s coin, it is cheaper than the lunar and queen’s beast series, albeit, they’re part of multi-coin collections, whereas the Oriental Border Britannia is a one-off coin. In that respect, with a limited issue of only 100,000, we feel this coin offers remarkable value. No doubt, the coins will sell out quickly and then start to increase in value at a quicker rate than standard issue Britannias.

As an investment, these factors will certainly help, along with the expected strong demand from Asia. It appeals further for silver investors, due to its UK face value. This makes the coin legal tender in the UK, which in turn qualifies the silver coin as Capital Gains Tax free. This is particularly significant in silver where the current low price could well produce huge future gains in capital value.