Royal Mint Bullion Quarter Ounce Coins

[GreyBeardUK]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and only just getting into gold. I know – late to the party at the worst possible time!

So I'm looking for some help…

At the moment, I'm only interested in bullion, mainly because I want to be able to physically handle the coins. But also, because I have experience in other collecting fields where a discrepancy in subjective grading can lead to massive differences in perceived value. I like that the bullion spot price keeps everyone "on the same page" (I can even see which premiums are greedy!). I'm in the UK, so for now I'm concentrating on bullion sovereigns (from reputable dealers).

But I am also considering getting a few quarter ounce £25 coins where they are particularly significant or attractive, despite their much higher premium (why is that?). Obviously there are quarter Britannias, but I am having trouble identifying what else the Royal mint has done in bullion grade. Some of the ranges and individual coins seem to be only in Proof. For instance it seems that the Queen's Beasts were available in bullion, but the Tudor Beasts are only Proof? (And the Completer coin is only one ounce proof?) The internet has not been as helpful as I'd hoped – Wikipedia is clearly missing information, and other hits are for sites only interested in what they currently have for sale. The Royal Mint site is very difficult to navigate, but doesn't seem to have comprehensive historical information. Can anyone point me to a definitive list of all legal tender, bullion, gold £25 coins?

Any other comments or advice would be very welcome.

Thanks

[Stuntman]

I don't have a definitive list, but the following have definitely been produced by the Royal Mint in 1/4 oz Bullion:

Some Lunar Series coins, such as 2016 Year of the Monkey and a few others

Gold Standard coins - in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 I think from memory

The 10 individual Queen's Beast coins, but not the Completer

The Tudor Beasts coins - four so far, Lion, Yale, Bull, Unicorn

The 2023 Coronation Cypher coin

(there are probably some other coins apart from the Britannia that I have missed)

Personally I like the Gold Standard coin design, most of the QB coins and the Coronation cypher design.  

Be careful about the premiums though, sovereigns are a more sensible choice from a stacking point of view in my opinion when it comes to coins of this size.

 

 

[GreyBeardUK]

Thanks for the fast reply!

I hadn't realised the Gold Standard was a series - I thought it was a one-off in 2019; so that's very useful!

And as a result of your reply I did another search for Tudor Beasts, and this time found the bullion entry.

But I do take your point about premiums. I don't know why quarter ounce coins have such a large premium compared to sovereigns.

 

[pricha]

For starters I'd avoid buying from the Royal Mint. There are premiums and there are premium plus premium again. Their prices are silly. I'd recommend the forum for the cheapest coins and you get to actually see what you are buying. Dealers are OK,  but as they are bullion then don't moan about the odd scratch etc.  

Sounds to me you've started the classic coin collection craze.

I'm only stacking bullion , well I quite like the 1/4 oz themes but they have  large premiums , hmmm those Victoria shields look very nice , and before you know it you'll be desperately selling your  low grade coins to raise funds for slabbed Mint State beauties 😆 

Edited October 23, 2023 by pricha

[GreyBeardUK]

I'd already realised that the Royal Mint premiums are aimed at naive beginners who have done no research!

And you're right - I was teetering on the edge of the "I quite like the 1/4 oz themes", but (at least for now) I've pulled back from the abyss (rabbit hole?).

As for Mint State - the analogy I think of, is the Hi-Fi enthusiasts in the '60s, who stopped listening to the actual music because they became obsessed with the quality of the sound reproduction. I'm desperately trying to enjoy the coins without demanding perfect mirror shine. Indeed, with the Royal Mint notorious for copper spots on gold and milk spots on silver, that would be a path to perennial disappointment.