The story of Britannia on the coinage is also the story of Britain. Throughout the ages she has provided inspiration for artists and sculptors, each creating their own interpretation of the icon. Britannia has been depicted seated and standing, joined by lighthouses, ships, lions and owls. Certain carefully selected attributes, like her Corinthian helmet, shield, trident and olive branch, often make an appearance. More recently, Philip Nathan’s original design, first released in 1987 for the Britannia bullion coin, is now considered a modern classic and is still used on Britannia bullion today.

On the 20th anniversary of the silver Britannia bullion coin, Louis Tamlyn, a student at Central Saint Martins, has designed a Britannia that captures enduring aspects of the nation – the stable and ancient island that we inhabit. His design also contains the anniversary trident mint mark with the number 20 to celebrate this important minting anniversary. Struck in five ounces of 999 fine silver and finished to Proof standard, this edition has a diameter of 65mm. The limited edition coin is presented in a Royal Mint case, accompanied by a booklet that details the history of Britannia and the inspiration behind the 2017 design.