RDHC

FWIW, my opinion is that you need to reflect on the very considerable premium (over the basic bullion price) that is involved in such a purchase. Will you get it back if you need or decide to sell down the line? If not, will the undoubted attractiveness and comparative rarity of the coin give you enough pleasure in the meantime to compensate? What is your time scale? And so on. These coins are around, but they may be at peak prices now. Modern exclusive issues tend to lose value over time, although the Queen's Beasts do seem to be one of the most popular and enduring - deservedly so, I would say. Certainly a better bet than, say, an Elton John, if I am going to risk having my neck chopped off! I bought a Red Dragon from this series at a considerable premium and I am still not sure whether this was a wise thing to do.
You could consider the Completer coin for this series at a much lower premium. You will get the Lion and all the other beasts in miniature.

Stay well clear. Plenty more pebbles on the beach.

Thank you, Lawrence, for a helpful and concise reply. You put it very well about 1000 x 2021 versus 1000 x 2017. That makes very good sense.
And I'm glad that you agree about the aesthetics of the 2017. The radiating lines do seem to add something over the very plain background of some of the early Britannias. I know that in the last resort it's all about bullion value, but I do like my coins to be as attractive as possible.
I reckon that the Philip Nathan figure of Britannia will become an absolute classic and last for years to come, rivalling the seated Britannia that some of us probably know best from well-worn Victorian pennies - still in circulation in my childhood at least. (I can make this prediction safe in the knowledge that at my age I am very unlikely to be around long enough to be proved wrong.) What do others think?

Agreed- debate and opinion is always good to have but I wanted to add some accuracy.  
If you read the OP's initial post, he is clearly very enthusiastic about the Britannia and if he's thinking about putting down a large wedge of his hard earned cash on a 2017 Britannia then he needs the question answered accurately.
To this end, I wanted to provide him with accuracy- and to clarify, its irrelevant that 2017 marked the Anniversary of the Modern Sovereign in terms of the Sovereign  release having any bearing on the premiums asked for a 2017 1oz Bu Britannia.
 
To go further, I don't think @LawrenceChard accurately answered the question question the OP made:
 
 
There is some common sense logic to what Lawrence stated but the fact is, a plain 2017 Britannia does not generally attract anymore premium than a freshly minted one- Chards actually have them on offer however; in 2017 a tiny amount of the 2017's- 7,030 to be precise, were struck with the Trident Privy mark (as opposed to 10's of thousands and likely over a hundred thousand of the plain 2017's) and it is these 30 Year Anniversary coins that might well attract premium, a point that Lawrence didn't pick up on (not that I expect him to pick up on everything) but in my opinion, that would explain why *some* 2017 Britannia coins attract premium.
Chards have both varieties listed, (as do Bullion by Post- I picked this company because they often have listings of out of stock items, the 2017 Anniversary Britannia is often out of stock).
Chards:
Plain 2017- £1349   https://www.chards.co.uk/2017-gold-britannia-one-ounce-bullion-coin/883
Privy 2017- (indicative price out of stock price: £1423) https://www.chards.co.uk/2017-gold-britannia-30th-anniversary-one-ounce-bullion-coin/3366
 
Bullion By Post:
Plain 2017- £1451  https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-coins/britannia-1oz-gold-coin/2017-britannia-one-ounce-gold-coin/
Privy 2017- (indicative price out of stock price: £1550)  https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/britannia-1oz-gold-coin/Specific-Year-Gold-Britannias-1oz/1oz-gold-britannia-anniversary-coin/
 
Hope this provides clarity to you and answers your question @rdhcustance

Commemorative years will always command a premium..but not always the rule...1989,2002,2005,2012,2017 etc...Also privy marks and mintages but I'm sure you know that....Like the Silver Britannia's....the older versions of Britannia on her chariot, the face of Britannia, sitting with the lion..privy marks the list is endless,these will always be a higher premium than your bog standard Britannia...but saying that I don't think our Britannia is bog standard...one of the nicest if not the best design on a coin in the world....IMO.👍
 

Thank you, Lawrence, for a helpful and concise reply. You put it very well about 1000 x 2021 versus 1000 x 2017. That makes very good sense.
And I'm glad that you agree about the aesthetics of the 2017. The radiating lines do seem to add something over the very plain background of some of the early Britannias. I know that in the last resort it's all about bullion value, but I do like my coins to be as attractive as possible.
I reckon that the Philip Nathan figure of Britannia will become an absolute classic and last for years to come, rivalling the seated Britannia that some of us probably know best from well-worn Victorian pennies - still in circulation in my childhood at least. (I can make this prediction safe in the knowledge that at my age I am very unlikely to be around long enough to be proved wrong.) What do others think?

O.K. I know the fundamental answer perfectly well: supply and demand. Also, I know that some series with a unique design - e.g. with Britannia driving a chariot or posed by cliffs with a lion beside her - command a premium (perhaps also the oriental border ones). I can understand that. And maybe some some prefer the larger size of the 2013 issue (haven't checked the price for that). But why does, say, a 2017 Britannia usually fetch quite a bit more than a 2021 one? Is there a hidden message here about the scarcity of the original mintage in 2017 or are the 2021 examples simply flooding out of the Mint? I notice that Chards have a special offer on the 2017  Britannias, with a big difference from the usual price, a price which is confirmed by what, say, Bullionby post are apparently asking for the 2017s. The offer started me thinking on this subject. Perhaps Chards have unearthed and bought a large cache of 2017s that they need to shift?!
I rather like the 2017 design: its got the latest royal head and the standard, rather beautiful Philip Nathan figure of Britannia (more attractive - not to say slightly sensuous - in my opinion, than the ones in the special issues), and the background is uncluttered with security symbols, whilst having  pleasing lines radiating out. So, does everyone share my aesthetic judgment, which seems unlikely, and would that account for the price difference? I'm a bit puzzled.

Hi...
Thought I would add my pennies worth...the 2017 Britannia's will always command a little more premium as its the 200th anniversary of the Gold sovereign. 
Regards...

Correct on almost every point, except for:
"Perhaps Chards have unearthed and bought a large cache of 2017s that they need to shift?!"
Sure @ChardsCoinandBullionDealer recently bought some.
Not a large cache, and we don't need to shift them, but we exercise sensible stock management.
If you want 1000 x 2021, we can supply them.
If you wanted to buy 1000 x 2017, you could probably not source them even if you were willing to pay double or treble the current price.
they do look nice:

 
 
 

Stay well clear. Plenty more pebbles on the beach.

Very interesting piece from Adamantio - thank you.
(As many here will know, 'solidus' provides the 's' in the old, pre-decimal British £sd currency. £ comes from the 'l' in libra, and the 'd' from 'denarius'.)

Love this. Reminds me of a somewhat similar remark on a gun forum that I have been known to frequent: 'if I die, I've instructed a friend not to allow my wife to sell all my shotguns for the prices that I told her I paid for them.' 

Love this. Reminds me of a somewhat similar remark on a gun forum that I have been known to frequent: 'if I die, I've instructed a friend not to allow my wife to sell all my shotguns for the prices that I told her I paid for them.' 

Love this. Reminds me of a somewhat similar remark on a gun forum that I have been known to frequent: 'if I die, I've instructed a friend not to allow my wife to sell all my shotguns for the prices that I told her I paid for them.' 

Love this. Reminds me of a somewhat similar remark on a gun forum that I have been known to frequent: 'if I die, I've instructed a friend not to allow my wife to sell all my shotguns for the prices that I told her I paid for them.' 

“Apocalyptic scenario” yeah like when your partner finds out how much you have actually been spending on gold! 

Did anyone try to make out the words, as I did? I was baffled since they weren't Latin (or Welsh - anther inaccurate guess of mine) and the Gothic script is difficult. With a little bit of research, I discovered that they are German: 'Treu und Fest', meaning 'True (or Loyal) and Steadfast'. A motto mostly associated with the kings of Bavaria, but here used or appropriated by or on behalf of Prince Albert, who was a Saxe-Coburg of course. 

Very interesting piece from Adamantio - thank you.
(As many here will know, 'solidus' provides the 's' in the old, pre-decimal British £sd currency. £ comes from the 'l' in libra, and the 'd' from 'denarius'.)

Very interesting piece from Adamantio - thank you.
(As many here will know, 'solidus' provides the 's' in the old, pre-decimal British £sd currency. £ comes from the 'l' in libra, and the 'd' from 'denarius'.)

Could it be something to do with having Paul Kruger's face and beard on them? I prefer Britannia in all her manifestations, esp. her last, which I have to confess to finding rather attractive, the willowy robes especially (read into that what you like!).

You could get over 1.40 US Dollars to the £ before the brexit vote and just under 1.20 dollars just after.  It wasn't so much that gold went up, but the purchasing power of the £ went down, which made it look like the proce of gold went up.

You and me both. I find the Yale rather alluring. 😏

It would take years for me and my limited purse to buy the whole series, so I think I would be looking for the Lion and the Griffin principally, followed by the Dragon, and maybe the Yale - such a curious creature even by mythological standards, and rather delightful in its own ugly way, at least to my eyes.
Or perhaps I should go for the gold 1/4 oz beasts, despite their even higher premiums?
What would members advise?

Good point. Thank you. I have managed to buy the 1oz completer, which is beautiful and striking, and so I will probably stick with the 1oz ones, and just be content with fewer of them.

Thank you for that long, interesting, and helpful reply.
If I understand you correctly, you think that the beasts series might be a good investment in the long run, not that you can be expected to have a crystal ball and we must all make up our own minds in buying these expensive coins. From my own, vastly less experienced stand point, I think that they have a good chance of that. They strike me as by far the best of all the special issues from the Mint, except for Una and the Lion, which I know little about. That is because I think the designs by Jody Clark are so impressive and apt. I also like his royal head  best of all the Elizabeth II series and reckon it stands comparison with Wyon's famous young Victoria head. Just my humble opinions. I wonder what others think?