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The British Gold Britannia is one of the world’s most recognizable bullion coins. The Royal Mint offers several fractional versions of the 1 oz coin, including the ½ oz Gold Britannia.

1/2 oz British Gold Britannia Price

All ½ oz British Gold Britannias contain a ½ oz of gold. So, much of their value and cost is a function of the going spot price for a troy ounce of gold. 

The spot price is, in essence, the market price for gold at any given moment. Though its true definition is a bit more technical, investors and dealers alike use it as the closest proxy to the market price for gold.

Thus, the foundation value for the ½ oz Gold Britannia is the spot price but divided by two. However, regardless of whether you’re buying them online or in-person, you’re going to spend more money than the spot price to secure one. The additional money is the premium, which is the fee that the dealer charges for the convenience of connecting you with the Britannia.

On average, the premium for a ½ oz Gold Britannia is roughly 8% over the spot price. As other ½ oz coins go, this premium percentage is actually on the low end.

Thus, ½ oz Britannias are usually a great deal because of their excellent purity and unquestionable authenticity. Although they aren’t quite as liquid as American Gold Eagles or American Gold Buffalos, you should be able to buy and sell them with a reasonable degree of ease.

Find the Lowest Price on 1/2 oz British Gold Britannia

Now, to be fair, there are probably not going to be as many options for purchase if you choose a ½ Britannia over a ½ Gold Eagle. You may not be able to find lower prices easily, because, well, there’s no other price if there’s no other option.

However, within that limitation, you should still try to pay the lowest premium you can. So, the first thing to do is make sure that you shop around with several different precious metals dealers. Thanks to the presence of so many online dealers, you can quickly find the best deals on ½ oz British Gold Britannia.

We recommend that you check out the following dealers in your search:

• JM Bullion
• Provident Metals
• BGASC.com
• Silver.com

All four of these dealers are top-notch, so even if you don’t choose to deal with one, you should at least understand the different deals available.

Now, if you do have multiple options for the ½ oz Britannia on a single deal, there are some other ways to keep the costs low. The first thing is to avoid any coins that are designated as proof or uncirculated versions. These coins are minted and handled with a tremendous level of care, and their higher premiums reflect the extra cost of their production.

Another thing to do is not to specify the mintage year of the ½ oz Britannia you want to buy. If you can accept a “random year” option and receive whatever coin the dealer has in stock, you likely can get a lower premium, as the dealer is motivated to move the coin out of inventory.

Lastly, if possible, you should attempt to purchase a bulk order of ½ oz Gold Britannias over buying coins separately. If you have the money, you’ll enjoy savings on a per-coin basis if you can buy a tube of them.

Description

Like all Britannias, the ½ oz gold version features the same designs on both its obverse and reverse. The obverse features a portrait of the British monarch seated on the throne at the time of the coin’s mintage. 

The Britannia debuted in 1987. As such, for the time being, the majority of the coins feature Queen Elizabeth II on their obverse. After her passing in 2022, the queen appeared for one last time on the 2023 coin. The subsequent mintings depict Elizabeth’s son, Charles, who is now styled King Charles III.

The reverse of the ½ oz has the same depiction of Britannia, the symbolic embodiment of Great Britain itself, that has adorned the coin since its first year. Britannia faces left and holds a trident in her right hand. In her left hand, she bears a shield emblazoned with the Union Jack, the UK flag.

No matter the size Britannia you choose, you will receive a coin minted in .9999 fine gold. Thus, the amount of gold advertised is the literal amount of gold you’re getting with the ½ oz Britannia.

Coin Highlights

If you’re looking for some quick facts about the ½ oz Britannia, here are the nuts and bolts about it:

• ½ troy ounce of gold.
• .9999 fine gold.
• Obverse features sitting monarch of Great Britain - either Queen Elizabeth II or Charles III.
• Reverse features Britannia holding a trident and a shield, with the British flag on the shield.
• Face value of £50.
• Produced every year since 1987.
• Wave patterns and other security features present on the reverse as counterfeiting safeguards.

Buying Fractional Coins

Choosing to buy a fractional coin like the ½ oz Britannia over the full ounce version has a simple reason: the cost. Though buying a ½ oz is not an insignificant transaction, it never approaches the same cost level of a 1 oz Britannia.

However, you do need to recognize that you are paying more on a per-ounce basis for fractional coins than you are for the full-size ones. Where the fractional Britannias have a premium of 8% or so, the 1 oz Britannias are marked up only about 2.5% over the spot.

To be fair, it may not be financially feasible for you to buy the full-size Britannia at this time, but you still might want to buy some quality gold. So, buying the ½ oz version (or smaller) might be the answer for you, and there’s nothing wrong with buying this coin.

We only brought up the premium percentage because you need to know about the discrepancy. It’s important to have your eyes wide open whenever you make a precious metals transaction.

Specifications