1 oz Landmark Silver Coin

A Royal Mint Collectible Bullion Series in Silver

The 1 oz Elemetal Mint Landmark Silver Coin listed here is part of the Landmarks of Britain series produced by The Royal Mint between 2017 and 2019. Each coin contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and carries a GBP 2 face value, granting UK legal tender status. The series featured four iconic London landmarks: Big Ben (2017), Tower Bridge (2018), Trafalgar Square (2018), and Buckingham Palace (2019).

For buyers comparing silver coins at this weight, the Landmarks of Britain occupies a middle ground between pure bullion and numismatic collecting. A maximum mintage of 50,000 per design creates moderate scarcity without the extreme premiums of proof issues. The series is now complete and no further releases are planned, meaning supply is fixed and available only on the secondary market.

The coins were designed by Royal Mint engravers Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy, adapting designs originally created for a 2014 coloured proof set. The bullion versions use a standard brilliant uncirculated finish without the trichromatic colour printing of those original proofs. At 38.61 mm diameter and 3 mm thickness, the dimensions match most other 1 oz silver coins in the market, making them compatible with standard coin capsules and storage tubes. All four landmarks depicted are in London, despite the series name suggesting broader British coverage. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and non-London England are not represented.

Landmarks of Britain Technical Details

All four coins share an obverse featuring the fifth-generation portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, introduced in 2015. The reverse designs depict each landmark in detailed relief against a clean field. No specific anti-counterfeiting micro-engraving or lenticular features are present on these coins, unlike the later iterations of the 1 oz Silver Britannia which gained advanced security features from 2021 onwards. The GBP 2 face value matches that of the Britannia, the lowest denomination used for Royal Mint 1 oz silver bullion.

Tax Position for UK Legal Tender Silver

The Landmarks of Britain coins carry UK legal tender status at GBP 2 face value. This confers a significant advantage for UK buyers: profits on disposal are exempt from Capital Gains Tax (CGT). This places them in the same tax category as the 1 oz Silver Britannia and other Royal Mint legal tender coins.

The CGT exemption does not eliminate all tax costs. Silver coins in the UK are subject to 20% VAT on purchase, unlike gold which is VAT-exempt. For investors expecting substantial appreciation, the CGT exemption can outweigh the initial VAT cost over time, particularly above the annual CGT allowance (currently GBP 3,000). Pre-owned examples sold under the VAT margin scheme carry an effective VAT rate close to zero, making secondary market purchases more attractive than buying new.

In other jurisdictions the legal tender status provides no tax advantage. US buyers face state-dependent sales tax treatment and the standard 28% collectibles capital gains rate. Canadian buyers benefit from GST/HST exemption on silver at 99.9%+ purity regardless of legal tender status. Australian and New Zealand buyers qualify for GST exemption on investment-grade silver at 99.9% purity or above. Singapore classifies qualifying silver coins as Investment Precious Metals, exempting them from 9% GST. Hong Kong applies no sales tax or CGT to any bullion.

Landmarks of Britain vs Other Royal Mint Silver Coins

The most direct comparison is with the 1 oz Silver Britannia, the Royal Mint's flagship silver bullion coin. Both are .999 fine, 1 oz, CGT-exempt UK legal tender. The Britannia has no mintage cap and is produced continuously, keeping premiums lower and liquidity higher. The Landmarks series, with its 50,000 cap and discontinued status, trades at higher premiums but with narrower buyback markets. For pure bullion accumulation the Britannia is more efficient; for a combination of bullion holding and collectible scarcity the Landmarks series offers a different proposition.

Compared to private-mint 1 oz silver rounds, the Landmarks coins carry the legal tender advantage (CGT exemption in the UK) and Royal Mint provenance, both of which support stronger buyback prices. A generic .999 silver round will carry lower premiums at purchase but offers no tax advantage and may attract a wider bid-ask spread on resale.

The Perth Mint's 1 oz silver coins (Kookaburra, Kangaroo) offer annual design changes at similar or higher mintages, with .9999 purity. They lack UK CGT exemption but benefit from GST-free status in Australia and meet IRA purity requirements in the US. The 1 oz Canadian Maple Leaf at .9999 purity offers the highest standard purity among sovereign silver coins, with Bullion DNA anti-counterfeiting technology and no mintage cap. For UK-based buyers specifically, the Landmarks of Britain's CGT exemption combined with Royal Mint provenance makes it a sound secondary-market holding that combines collectibility with tax efficiency.