Credit: Royal Mint
The Royal Mint has unveiled a ground-breaking addition to its bullion portfolio with the launch of the new secure Britannia bullion bar. Security features previously exclusive to its world-renowned coins have been rolled out into its gold bar range for the first time.
The Britannia bullion bar range includes four security elements, the first of which is latent imagery that appears similar to a hologram. When the bar is rotated, the image changes from a padlock to a trident.
The second feature involves micro-detailing, which creates the illusion of waves rolling behind the figure of Britannia as the bar is turned.
Microtext is another feature, with an inscription reading ‘Decus et Tutamen’ (‘an ornament and a safeguard’) surrounding Britannia, created using specialist lasers.
The fourth feature includes tincture lines, which depict colours and patterns on metal.
The bars are also protected by tamperproof packaging and extra layers of protection, including a UV watermark, QR code authentication, and a unique serial number.
Andrew Dickey, Director of Precious Metals for The Royal Mint, commented that the ‘Britannia bullion range is already one of the most sought after in the world, and by extending these innovative security features to our bars, we’re giving investors even greater confidence when purchasing our products’.
‘We have seen unprecedented demand for physical precious metals as investors increasingly look to diversify their portfolios through ‘safe haven’ assets. These new enhancements ensure authenticity and offer greater protection for investors, setting a new benchmark for excellence in the precious metals industry.’
The Royal Canadian Mint has produced a new silver coin with a hologram feature on the reverse, the only one of its type scheduled for release this year.
Developed in collaboration with Nunatsiavut artist, Bronson Jacque, the coin design presents a new interpretation of the traditional Raven figure of Inuit legends. The engraved raven in the foreground is perched on a branch and surrounded by trees, representing each of us, grounded in our sense of self, according to Inuit culture.
The hologram-enhanced raven flying above ‘speaks to the power of storytelling and its ability to lift our creative spirits to new heights’. The hologram has been struck directly with 3D embossing micro-textures into the coin’s surface during the minting process. The RCM created the world’s first struck achromatic hologram coin using this in technology in 2013.
The colours seen in the hologram – which illuminates the flying raven’s feathers and creates a multi-coloured backdrop – are not as pigmented compared to a painted coin and so can appear iridescent, shifting between a range of colours depending on lighting and viewing angle. This results in the effect of a 3D-like bird in motion, while the aurora borealis shifts in the night sky behind it. These effects are intentional and are a hallmark of genuine holographic minting.
In the artist’s own words, ‘the coin is a reminder that we are more than what we show of ourselves, that we have a colourful world within, one that is capable of creating a light in the darkest of nights’.
Mintage of the silver 1oz coin has been limited to 7,500 pieces.
©Royal Canadian Mint.
