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Authenticate Your 1 oz Silver Britannia

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Silver Britannia composition and dimensions by year (1997–2026)

This reference covers the standard UK £2, one-troy-ounce Silver Britannia, from the 1997 proof launch through 2026. Other sizes and separate Britannia-themed issues are outside scope. The Royal Mint dates the change from .958 Britannia silver to .999 fine silver to 2013. The older documented diameter is 40 mm; the Mint specifies 38.61 mm for 2013-onward bullion. Royal Mint history; 2013-onward specification.

Check the evidence for your year. Some pre-2013 entries are period reconstructions, not independently verified annual specifications. Thickness and the precise non-silver constituents have not been verified from official sources. The table reports diameter only.

The verifier above uses the app’s modern .999 Britannia reference profile. Its displayed measurements are app reference data, not a complete official specification for every year. Do not apply that profile to an older .958 Britannia.

Standard one-ounce Silver Britannia: composition, diameter and official evidence
YearCompositionDiameterOfficial sources and evidence
1997 (proof launch).9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
1998.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
1999.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2000.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2001.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmGazette 2001 proclamationDesign-specific proclamation
2002.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2003.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmGazette helmeted-head proclamationDesign-specific proclamation
2004.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2005.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmGazette seated-Britannia proclamationDesign-specific proclamation
2006.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2007.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmGazette 2007 proclamationDesign-specific proclamation
2008.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2009.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2010.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmGazette profile-bust proclamationDesign-specific proclamation
2011.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2012.9584 (95.84% silver)40.00 mmRoyal Mint history; Gazette 2001 proclamation; Gazette 2007 proclamationPeriod reconstruction; annual dimensional source not located
2013.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2013-onward specificationExplicit Royal Mint date-range specification
2014.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2013-onward specificationExplicit Royal Mint date-range specification
2015.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2015Year-specific bullion page
2016.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2016Year-specific bullion page
2017.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2017Year-specific bullion page
2018.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2018Year-specific bullion page
2019.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2019Year-specific bullion page
2020.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2020Year-specific bullion page
2021.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2021Year-specific bullion page
2022.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2022Year-specific bullion page
2023.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2023 Charles IIIYear-specific bullion page
2024.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2024Year-specific bullion page
2025.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2025Year-specific bullion page
2026.999 (99.9% silver)38.61 mmRoyal Mint 2026Year-specific bullion page

What changed in 2013?

Older coins are commonly called .958 silver. The cited proclamations give the more precise standard of 958.4 parts per thousand (95.84% silver), a 40 mm diameter and a 32.454 g gross weight. The explicitly dated 2007 proclamation confirms these figures. Modern bullion is .999 (99.9%) silver and 38.61 mm across. 2007 proclamation; modern specification.

Gross weight, silver content and thickness

Gross coin weight and fine-silver content are different measurements. The older proclamations specify 32.454 g total; the Royal Mint’s 2018 bullion page gives 31.210 g. Recent bullion pages usually state one troy ounce of pure metal content, rather than gross weight. This research does not establish an annual gross-weight schedule or an official thickness for any year. An exact 31.1 g rule is therefore inappropriate.

The cited proclamations do not identify the remaining 4.16% of the older alloy. Modern product pages specify .999 silver without a complete trace-element recipe. Neither the remaining metals nor a thickness should be presented as officially verified on the basis of these sources.

How to read the sources

Period reconstruction applies the documented period specification to a year for which a separate official dimensional record was not located: 1997–2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008–2009 and 2011–2012. The 1997 Mint page confirms the proof launch but omits dimensions. The 2013–2014 rows rely on the Mint’s explicit 2013-onward specification.

A proclamation authorises a specification; it does not establish that every authorised variant was issued. The 2001 proclamation also authorises a .999 variant, which does not overturn the Mint’s stated 2013 change for the standard series. The 2003, 2005 and 2010 proclamations are matched by reverse design; publication year and coin year can differ.

Official source details and document locations
  1. Royal Mint history. Silver launch in 1997; purity increased from .958 to .999 in 2013. No historical diameter.
  2. Royal Mint 1997 proof set. Confirms launch and one-ounce proof coin, but no dimensional specification.
  3. Gazette 2001 proclamation. 20 July 2001, pp. 8599–8600, paragraph 5: .9584 silver, 32.454 g, 40 mm; guardian with lion design.
  4. Gazette helmeted-head proclamation. Paragraph 5: .9584, 32.454 g, 40 mm; design corresponding to 2003.
  5. Gazette seated-Britannia proclamation. 15 March 2005, p. 743, paragraph 5: .9584, 32.454 g, 40 mm. Proclamation dated 17 November 2004; design corresponding to 2005.
  6. Gazette 2007 proclamation. 13 October 2006, paragraph 5: .9584, 32.454 g, 40 mm; explicitly dated 2007.
  7. Gazette profile-bust proclamation. 23 October 2009, paragraph 5: .9584, 32.454 g, 40 mm; design corresponding to 2010.
  8. Royal Mint 2013-onward specification. Explicitly covers dates from 2013 to the current year; .999, 38.61 mm, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  9. Royal Mint 2015. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  10. Royal Mint 2016. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  11. Royal Mint 2017. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  12. Royal Mint 2018. Bullion specification: .999, 38.61 mm, 31.210 g.
  13. Royal Mint 2019. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  14. Royal Mint 2020. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  15. Royal Mint 2021. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  16. Royal Mint 2022. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  17. Royal Mint 2023 Charles III. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  18. Royal Mint 2024. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  19. Royal Mint 2025. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.
  20. Royal Mint 2026. Year-specific bullion specification: .999 silver, 38.61 mm diameter, 1 troy oz fine silver.

Sources checked .

How to Spot a Fake Britannia

Counterfeit 1 oz Silver Britannia coins are increasingly common. Use the acoustic verifier above as your first line of defense, then check these key red flags:

  • 🚨Weight inconsistent with the specification for the coin’s year and finish; one troy ounce of silver is not the same as gross coin weight
  • 🚨Diameter inconsistent with its issue: the older standard is 40 mm; 2013-onward bullion is 38.61 mm. See the annual reference and evidence notes above.
  • 🚨Dull or flat ping sound instead of bell-like ring
  • 🚨Missing or incorrect security features for the coin’s year; the four-feature security design began in 2021
Tip: Sophisticated counterfeits can fool visual inspection alone. Always use the acoustic verifier above alongside precise weight and dimension measurements.

About the Britannia

First minted in 1997, the Silver Britannia is the UK's premier silver bullion coin and is CGT exempt for UK residents as legal tender. Updated security features added in 2021.

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