10 oz Robin Hood Silver Coin

The Royal Mint's Sherwood Forest in 10 oz Silver

The 10 oz Robin Hood coin is one of the largest silver pieces in The Royal Mint's Myths and Legends series. At 89mm diameter and 6mm thick, carrying a GBP 10 face value, it combines the practical appeal of a substantial silver holding with the tax advantages of UK legal tender status. For British buyers, that means exemption from Capital Gains Tax on any profit when the coin is eventually sold.

The design, by Jody Clark (the Royal Mint engraver responsible for the most recent Queen Elizabeth II coinage portrait), depicts Robin Hood perched on a tree branch in Sherwood Forest with bow drawn and ready, framed by dense oak foliage. The original 2021-2022 issues carry the Jody Clark portrait of Elizabeth II on the obverse, while 2024 re-releases feature the Martin Jennings portrait of King Charles III. This transition makes the earlier issues the only Robin Hood coins bearing the late Queen's portrait.

Robin Hood is part of the broader Myths and Legends series which also includes Maid Marian, Little John, King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, and the Beowulf trilogy. The series structure groups characters into three-coin collections, each exploring a different British legend. The Robin Hood chapter (Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Little John) was the first released, launching the series in 2021.

At 999.9 fine silver, the 10 oz Robin Hood matches the purity of the 1 oz Silver Britannia standard. The substantial format means lower per-ounce premiums compared to the 1 oz version of the same design, making it a more efficient way to hold CGT-exempt silver in quantity for UK residents.

Robin Hood 10 oz Silver Technical Details

The 89mm diameter is one of the largest for any 10 oz silver coin. For comparison, the Perth Mint Lunar 10 oz measures 75.5mm and the Armenian Noah's Ark 10 oz is 75mm (or 63mm in earlier specifications). The proportionally thin profile (6mm for 89mm width) gives the coin a distinctive flat appearance with significant surface area for design detail.

The 999.9 (four nines) purity is the highest silver standard commercially available, shared with the Canadian Maple Leaf and Perth Mint Emu but exceeding the .999 used by the Philharmonic, Noah's Ark, and Czech Lion. Each additional nine of fineness represents a marginal increase in silver content (approximately 0.09% more silver per ounce at .9999 vs .999), which is negligible for investment calculations but represents a manufacturing quality benchmark.

The micro-dot table texture is referenced as a security feature on the gold version. The silver bullion edition relies primarily on Royal Mint striking quality, the milled edge, and dealer authentication. Unlike the Britannia (which gained surface animation and tincture security features in 2021), the Myths and Legends series does not incorporate proprietary anti-counterfeiting technology.

CGT Exemption and VAT for UK Buyers

The Robin Hood 10 oz coin shares the same tax profile as all UK legal tender silver coins, offering a combination that is unique to British-issued pieces.

• United Kingdom (CGT): Fully exempt from Capital Gains Tax. As UK legal tender with a sterling face value, profits on disposal are not taxable regardless of the gain amount. This exemption applies whether the coin is held for weeks or decades. With the annual CGT allowance currently at GBP 3,000, a 10 oz silver position representing several hundred pounds would exceed the allowance quickly on a substantial percentage gain.
• United Kingdom (VAT): Subject to 20% VAT on purchase from The Royal Mint or VAT-registered dealers. Secondary market pieces may be available under the margin scheme, where VAT applies only to the dealer's profit margin. The VAT is a cost of entry that the CGT exemption may offset over time through tax-free gains.
• United States: Meets .999+ fineness threshold for IRA eligibility. Sovereign mint origin and legal tender status support custodian acceptance. No CGT exemption applies (federal collectibles rate of 28% on gains held over one year). State sales tax varies by state.
• European Union: Silver subject to local VAT rates. Margin scheme may apply to secondary market purchases. No CGT equivalence to the UK exemption exists in most EU countries (Belgium is a notable exception with no CGT on personal capital gains).
• Canada: The .9999 purity exceeds the 99.9% threshold for GST/HST exemption.
• Australia: GST-free as investment-grade silver at 99.9%+ purity from a sovereign mint. Subject to Australian CGT with 50% discount for 12+ month holdings.

800 Years of Legend on a Modern Bullion Coin

The Robin Hood legend is among the oldest and most widely recognised in English folklore. The earliest known literary reference appears in William Langland's Piers Plowman (c. 1377), though oral ballad traditions likely predate this by several decades. The character evolved from a rebellious yeoman in the medieval ballads to the noble outlaw of later retellings, accumulating companions (Little John, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck) and adversaries (the Sheriff of Nottingham, Guy of Gisborne) across centuries of storytelling.

Jody Clark's design for The Royal Mint captures Robin in Sherwood Forest, the ancient woodland in Nottinghamshire that has been associated with the legend since the earliest ballads. The Major Oak, a tree in Sherwood Forest estimated to be 800-1,000 years old, is traditionally said to have sheltered Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The coin's depiction of the outlaw amid dense oak foliage references this connection directly.

The Myths and Legends series represents The Royal Mint's sustained move into themed bullion collections. The Queen's Beasts (2016-2021, ten heraldic animals), Tudor Beasts (2023 onwards), and Myths and Legends run concurrently or sequentially, giving collectors multiple narrative threads to follow. Robin Hood was chosen to launch Myths and Legends because of his exceptional international recognition, making the series immediately accessible to buyers outside the UK.

Clark's triple role as designer of both the obverse portrait and the reverse scene creates unusual artistic coherence within the Robin Hood coins. Most bullion coins use different artists for each face. The 2024 re-releases in proof format (limited to 510 pieces for Robin Hood, 506 for Maid Marian) added scarcity to designs that were originally open-mintage in bullion form, and introduced the King Charles III obverse to existing designs that had initially carried Elizabeth II.

Robin Hood 10 oz vs Other CGT-Free and 10 oz Options

The 10 oz Robin Hood exists at an intersection of two buyer needs: UK tax efficiency (CGT exemption) and large-format silver holdings. Its competition depends on which need takes priority.

For UK CGT exemption at 10 oz, the 10 oz Myths and Legends (other designs in the same series) offers identical tax treatment and specifications. The choice between Robin Hood, King Arthur, or Beowulf designs is aesthetic preference rather than investment differentiation. All carry the same GBP 10 face value, 999.9 purity, and 89mm diameter.

For buyers willing to sacrifice CGT exemption for lower entry cost, the 10 oz Noah's Ark offers sovereign legal tender silver at significantly lower premiums. Under the UK margin scheme, pre-owned Noah's Ark coins can be acquired at near-spot costs. The trade-off is clear: lower entry price versus zero exit tax. The break-even depends on the eventual gain and the buyer's CGT position.

The 10 oz Czech Lion appeals to buyers who value design distinction and security features. Its embossed hologram and high-relief striking offer visual qualities that the Robin Hood's standard bullion strike does not match. It lacks UK CGT exemption but carries legal tender status that may provide advantages in other jurisdictions.

Against 1 oz Britannias, the Robin Hood offers the same CGT exemption at lower per-ounce premiums (larger format coins carry reduced manufacturing cost per ounce). Ten individual Britannias provide more flexibility for partial liquidation but cost more per ounce to acquire. The Royal Mint does not currently produce a 10 oz Britannia silver bullion coin, making the Myths and Legends range the primary option for CGT-exempt silver above 1 oz.