Number five in our Coins of the World Collection is the tutelary goddess and female personification of the British Isles, Britannia.
- Features removable trident
- Custom made wooden collector's box
- Contains 30+ Troy ounces of solid silver
- Part of the Coins of the World Collection
- Guaranteed minimum weight of 1008 grams of .925 silver
- Measures 173 mm tall with a width of 140mm
- Limited production of only 1,000 casts
- Base laser-etched with weight, purity & unique production number
Britannia was a Romano-celtic goddess and often associated with the Roman goddess Minerva (Greek: Athena, goddess of war and victory). The Romans were known to use strong maidens to signify their conquests and Britannia was no different. When Claudius Caesar conquered Britain in 43AD, he named the new province after the goddess. Early images discovered in Aphrodisias depict Britannia writhing in agony under the heel of Claudius.
She first appeared on Roman coins under the Emperor Hadrian around 119AD after his successful invasion of Britain. Hadrian’s Britannia was seen as a ‘forlorn goddess’ in a windswept robe, seated on rocks with spear and shield in hand. However, later on Hadrian coins displayed Britannia as strong and dressed for war. By the 5th Century she had disappeared from the limelight altogether.
But in 1672, King Charles II re-introduced Britannia to the nation, where she held her place in British currency until 2008, and later re-emerging in 2015 for the £2 coin. No longer forlorn, she is depicted as the warrior she is, and a seafaring goddess, symbolizing Britain’s naval strength. Today, she stands tall and proud in her flowing robe with shield, trident, and Roman Galea.
And it is this Britannia; casting her powerful gaze out to sea that we’ve cast in stunning .925 silver today. Enjoy her story from goddess to conquered maiden to naval powerhouse as #5 in our Coins of the World Collection.
