Britannia on British Coins

"De Britannis" Below Emperor Driving Quadriga on Reverse of Roman Silver Didrachm of Claudius

2005 Seated Gold Britannia

The Latest 2008 Britannia One Ounce Silver Bullion Coin

1. Roman Times
   Claudius, Hadrian Antoninus Pius & The first mention and personification of Britannia.
2. 1672 Charles II
   The Duchess of Richmond models for the first British Britannia coins.
3. Tin Money
   In 1684, Tin farthings were introduced, followed by halfpennies.
4. Copper Returns
   Farthings and halfpennies were again made of copper starting in 1694 for William & Mary.
5. The Queen Anne Farthing
   Pattern farthings dated 1714 are a famous rarity.
6. The First Three Georges
   "Dump" issues, forgeries, and change.
7. Tokens - Private Money
   Because of the shortage of regal small change, privately issued tokens appeared.
8. Steam Power - Boulton & Watt
   Matthew Boulton brought the Industrial Revolution to coinage.
9. About Turn
   Britannia turns the other cheek for George IV.
10. Britannia Spreads Herself Around
    On half and third farthings, and groats, for Malta and elsewhere.
11. Britannia's Holiday Travels
    To Ionia and British Guiana.
12. Victorian Era
    The change from copper to bronze.
13. British Trade Dollars & The East
    Issued for the Straits Settlements, Malaya, and Singapore.
14. Standing Around for Edward VII
    Britannia stands to attention on florins.
15. World War I
    Appearance on memorial plaques.
16. George V
    Including 1933, the most famous penny.
17. Edward VIII
    Patterns only.
18. George VI
    Newly engraved design.
19. Elizabeth II
    With decimalisation, Britannia promoted to fifty pences.
20. Medals & Ships
    Britannia appears on medallions in various forms.
21. The Royal Yacht
    A Royal tradition.
22. Gold Britannia Coins
    Britannia gets her own coin named after her.
23. Silver Britannia Coins
    And another, in Britannia silver, naturally.
24. The Euro?
    Will Britannia appear on Euros?
25. Spelling Errors in Britannia on Coins
    It may be surprising to learn that Mints can allow spelling errors to creep onto coins.
26. Farewell Britannia?
    George Brown says Uncool Britannia must go.

Corrections, Additions & Updates
We are not infallible, and if any reader spots any errors on this or other pages of our site, we will welcome your input.
We will be upgrading some of the photographs used.
28th May 2005

You may wish to visit some of our other pages:
Welsh Dragon on British Coins
Value of my Coin. What's it Worth?
British Coin Denominations. What's a Groat,? etc.
Common Names of British Coins. What's a Tanner?
Strange Descriptions of Britannia Received in E-mail Enquiries

Britannia Coins Index

Gold Britannia Bullion Coins
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