One hundred pounds (British coin) explained

Denomination:One hundred pounds
Country:United Kingdom
Value:£100
Mass:62.86
Diameter:40.00
Edge:Milled
Composition:.999 fine silver
Years Of Minting:2015–22
Obverse Design:Queen Elizabeth II
Obverse Designer:Ian Rank-Broadley
Obverse Design Date:1998
Reverse Design:Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)
Reverse Designer:Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy
Reverse Design Date:2015
Obverse2 Design:Queen Elizabeth II
Obverse2 Designer:Jody Clark
Obverse2 Design Date:2015
Reverse2 Design:Buckingham Palace
Reverse2 Designer:Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy
Reverse2 Design Date:2015
Reverse3 Design:Trafalgar Square
Reverse3 Designer:Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy
Reverse3 Design Date:2016

The one hundred pound coin (£100) is a commemorative denomination of sterling coinage. Issued for the first time by the Royal Mint in 2015 and sold at face value, £100 coins hold legal tender status but are intended as collectors' items and are not found in general circulation.[1], the silver content of each coin (in bullion quantities) was worth about £35.[2]

Design

The designs which have appeared on the £100 coin's reverse are summarised in the table below.

Year Design Designer
2015Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)Davies & Clancy
2015Buckingham PalaceDavies & Clancy
2016Trafalgar SquareDavies & Clancy

Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)

The first minting of a new commemorative coin denominated £100 was announced on 29 December 2014.[3] The coins contain 62.86abbr=offNaNabbr=off of fine silver, with a diameter of 40mm.[4] The first mintage of this denomination totalled 50,000 coins.[3]

The 2015 issue features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and an image of Elizabeth Tower, often called Big Ben after the bell it houses, on the reverse.[4]

Buckingham Palace

In August 2015, the Royal Mint announced a second £100 coin would be minted. The new issue, as with the previous one, would be limited to 50,000 coins, each made of .999 fine silver, weighing 62.86g and having a diameter of 40mm.[5]

This second issue features an image of Buckingham Palace by Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy on the reverse, while on the obverse is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, making it the first face-value coin to feature that portrait.[5]

Trafalgar Square

In 2016, the Royal Mint announced a third £100 coin would be minted, featuring Trafalgar Square. The new issue was limited to 45,000 coins, each made of .999 fine silver, weighing 62.86g and having a diameter of 40mm.[6]

Legal tender status

The prolific issuance since 2013 of silver commemorative £20, £50 and £100 coins at face value has led to attempts to spend or deposit these coins,prompting the Royal Mint to clarify the legal tender status of these coins.[7] [8] Royal Mint guidelines advise that, although the coins were approved as legal tender, they are considered limited edition collectables not intended for general circulation, and hence shops and banks are not obliged to accept them.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Man arrested for using £100 coin in Tesco wins £5,000 in damages . Liverpool Echo . Ryan . Paton . Chloe . Parkman . 29 October 2021 . 3 November 2021 .
  2. Web site: Historical exchange rates . OANDA.com . 3 November 2021. using 'XAG' as the 'currency'
  3. News: Royal Mint makes £100 coin featuring Big Ben clock tower. BBC News. 29 December 2014.
  4. Web site: Big Ben 2015 UK 100 pound Fine Silver Coin . . 29 December 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141229194611/http://www.royalmint.com/shop/Big_Ben_2015_UK_100_pound_Fine_Silver_Coin . 29 December 2014.
  5. Web site: Buckingham Palace 2015 UK £100 Fine Silver Coin. 12 August 2015. Royal Mint. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004151334/http://www.royalmint.com/shop/Buckingham_Palace_2015_UK_100_pound_Fine_Silver_Coin?tab=specification#productdetails. 4 October 2015. dead.
  6. Web site: Trafalgar Square £100 Coin . . 30 January 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20181127064601/https://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/interests/british-interest/trafalgar-square-2016-uk-100-pound-fine-silver-coin/ . 27 November 2018.
  7. Web site: Legal Tender Guidelines. The Royal Mint. 17 January 2022.
  8. Web site: How The Royal Mint is Attempting to Redefine "Legal Tender" for Collector Coins. Morgan, Charles . Walker, Hubert . 27 March 2016. CoinWeek. 17 January 2022.