What is Britannia Silver? — SEO for the Poor and Determined

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What is Britannia silver?

Is this type of silver valuable or not?

Is Britannia silver magnetic? Does it tarnish? Does jewelry made from Britannia silver exist?

Find out in my guide below!

Table of Contents

What is Britannia Silver (Definition and Meaning)? Why is it Called “Britannia Silver”?

Britannia silver is a silver alloy containing 95.8% silver and 4.2% copper. This silver alloy is slightly softer than sterling silver (which is 92.5% silver) because it has a slightly higher pure silver content.

Britannia silver is called “Britannia silver” because Britannia (a female personification of Britain, often depicted as a warrior woman with a trident, shield, and helmet) is often depicted on coins and other items made from this silver alloy.

Basically, the name “Britannia silver” reflects its association with British heritage and craftsmanship and this silver alloy was historically used as the legal standard for wrought plate in Britain and is still used to this day in some decorative items and coins.

Is Britannia Silver Magnetic?

No, Britannia silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Britannia silver as a silver alloy contains 95.8% silver and 4.2% copper. Pure silver is a diamagnetic precious metal, and copper is diamagnetic metal too.

Both silver and copper being diamagnetic means Britannia silver is also diamagnetic.

In practical terms this means any coinage, jewelry and cutlery made from Britannia silver won’t magnetize when exposed to a strong magnet.

Note: diamagnetism is a type of magnetism that causes materials to be weakly repelled by a magnetic field.

Is Britannia Silver Hypoallergenic?

Yes, Britannia silver is hypoallergenic. Meaning most people can wear Britannia silver jewelry, or use Britannia silver cutlery without issue.

A small percentage of people might still experience a reaction due to the small amount of copper or zinc alloyed with the silver.

However, you’d need to be very sensitive to copper to have Britannia silver cause a reaction because this silver alloy has only 4-4.2% of copper in it.

Is There Bullion Made From Britannia Silver?

Yes, there’s Britannia silver bullion, in the form of Silver Britannia coins minted by The Royal Mint between 1997 and 2012.

You can see a full list of these silver coin on Wikipedia.

Are Britannia Silver Coins IRA Approved?

No, Britannia silver coins aren’t IRA-approved.

IRA-eligible silver coins and bars that are IRA-approved must be at least 99.9% pure and these silver coins and bars must also originate from a national government mint or other accredited and government sponsored organizations (COMEX, NYMEX, NYSE/Liffe/CBOT, TOCOM, LME, LBMA, LPPM, and ISO-9000 or a sovereign mint like for example Royal Canadian Mint).

You can buy these coins from a precious metals dealer like Augusta Precious Metals. Augusta is one of the best US-based gold investment company and they can help you open a gold IRA or silver IRA account.

Augusta sells IRA-approved silver bullion

Is There Jewelry Made From Britannia Silver?

Yes, there’s jewelry made from Britannia silver.

Britannia silver is an alloy with 95.8% silver and 4.2% copper, making it purer and softer than sterling silver. This higher silver content gives it a brighter, whiter appearance and greater malleability, which allows for intricate designs.

While Britannia silver is softer and more prone to wear, it also exhibits a resistance to tarnishing that surpasses sterling silver (because higher percentage of pure silver means lower percentage of tarnishing-prone copper).

What is the Hallmark for Britannia Silver?

The hallmark for Britannia silver is the number “958”, indicating its fineness (95.8% pure silver). The symbol of Britannia, a female figure, is optional and may also be present.

This silver hallmark replaced the older Britannia standard marks, such as the crowned leopard’s head and the Britannia mark (a seated woman).

Here’s an example of older version of Britannia silver hallmarks (a seated figure of Britannia).

Old Britannia silver hallmark- a seated figure of Britannia- source

What is the Current Purity of Britannia Silver?

The current purity of Britannia silver is 0.999 fine silver.

In 2013, the Royal Mint transitioned to using 0.999 fine silver for their Britannia bullion coins, meaning that modern Britannia silver bullion coins are made from .999 fine silver, not Britannia silver (0.958 silver).

What is Britannia Silver? Conclusion

Britannia silver is a silver alloy containing 95.8% silver and 4.2% copper, making it purer and softer than sterling silver (92.5% silver).

Named after Britannia, the female personification of Britain, it was historically used as Britain’s legal standard for wrought plate.

The alloy is non-magnetic (diamagnetic), hypoallergenic, and has a distinctive “958” hallmark indicating its fineness. While Britannia silver bullion coins were minted by The Royal Mint from 1997-2012, they’re not IRA-approved due to insufficient purity.

Since 2013, modern Britannia coins use .999 fine silver instead of the traditional Britannia silver alloy.

References:

What is Britannia Silver?- https://goldguys.com/what-is-britannia-silver/
Britannia 958 Silver 20g Pavone Bullion Bar Ingot Pendant on a 20″ Silver Chain- https://www.etsy.com/listing/1797607816/britannia-958-silver-20g-pavone-bullion?show_sold_out_detail

Nikola Roza

Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.