The Royal Mint has unveiled its largest ever platinum coin to coincide with the year of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The coin has a diameter of 150 mm and weighs two kilograms. With a face value of £1,000, it features the flagship Britannia design, with The Royal Mint’s innovative security features built in, including surface animation and micro-text designed to verify the authenticity of the piece.
The coin’s release comes on the back of a strong start to the year for The Royal Mint, which experienced a 182 per cent rise in demand for its platinum products in the first five weeks of 2022, compared to the same time in 2021.
Andrew Dickey, Director of Precious Metals at The Royal Mint, commented:
“Platinum is one of the rarest metals in the world, around 30 times rarer than gold, so the metal in this coin, combined with the skill and craftsmanship that goes into producing it, makes it really special. This is our first two-kilogram coin in platinum and this piece is designed specifically for the investment market.”
As part of The Royal Mint’s ongoing commitment to investment education, the coin will be taken on a roadshow across the UK for people to see and hold, while learning more about investing in precious metals. This follows the introduction of The Royal Mint’s precious metals academy, which launched last year.
Following the roadshow, the coin will be displayed at The Royal Mint Experience, the award-winning tourist attraction in South Wales, before it goes to the 2023 Trial of the Pyx.
As one of the nation’s longest-established official ceremonies, the Trial of the Pyx dates back to 1282. It brings together some of the United Kingdom’s oldest organisations and offices with the purpose of ensuring the quality and accuracy of the nation’s coinage.
Obverse of the two-kilogram platinum Britannia coin. Picture credit: The Royal Mint
At the Trial of the Pyx a jury, comprised of freemen from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commonly known as The Goldsmiths’ Company, will assay the coin’s metal content to ensure it conforms to the required dimensional and fineness specifications. The coin will then be offered to investors.
Bar and coin investment continues to grow
Investment in bullion bars and coins continues to be a sector of demand growth for platinum, driven by the North American market in particular, which grew by 9 per cent in 2021 to a decade high of 264 koz, achieving a market share of 80 per cent.
Overall, platinum bar and coin demand fell 43 per cent in 2021, however, this followed the exceptionally strong levels of demand experienced in 2020 when platinum bar and coin demand reached 578 koz as investors turned to hard assets in the wake of the pandemic.
Platinum bar and coin demand is expected grow 29 per cent this year to 429 koz, a 61 per cent increase when compared to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 (266 koz).
