Silver Bullion from the Pobjoy Mint

The vast majority of British coinage is produced by the Royal Mint of England, a facility which also handles the production of certain coinage for Commonwealth nations within the United Kingdom. However, the Royal Mint is not the only operating mint in the country. The Pobjoy Mint is a private, family-owned coining entity that produces bullion coinage for a number of smaller Commonwealth nations and territories of the United Kingdom. Recently, the number of gold and silver coins for sale from the Pobjoy Mint has increased, bringing with it stunning new design options for investors and collectors.

The Frosted Pegasus Series

The most popular series of silver coins from the Pobjoy Mint is the Reverse Frosted Pegasus Silver Coin issued on behalf of the British Virgin Islands. The series debuted in 2016 and is distinctive for both its visual finish and the use of new reverse designs in each release year. Existing reverse designs available in the collection include:

• 2017: The second design in the series depicts both the famed mythical Pegasus and the goddess Athena, believed to be responsible for the flying horse. In this design, Pegasus is depicted standing on the ground with its rear legs down and its front legs raised up. The goddess Athena stands beside the horse holding its reins and attempting to prevent the horse from taking flight. Athena is depicted wearing a war helmet and wielding a spear in her left hand.
• 2018: For the 2018 design, the artwork focuses solely on the famed winged horse. Pegasus is depicted with its front legs high in the air as it rears up and spreads its wings wide for flight.

On the obverse of all Frosted Pegasus Series coins is the right-profile effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty is depicted here with her neckline and shoulders visible in a portrait that is exclusive to the Pobjoy Mint. The coins in this series are available in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, and boast a reverse frosted finish. This means each one has mirrored design elements with frosted background fields.

All coins in this series feature .999 pure silver content and ship individually inside of protective flips. The 2017 and 2018 1 oz silver coins in the collection have limited mintage figures of 50,000 coins. In 2018, Pobjoy Mint expanded the popular series to feature a 2 oz and 5 oz silver bullion option as well. Mintage figures for these two new releases were capped at 5,000 coins and 1,000 coins, respectively.

The Pegasus coins are an appropriate issue for the British Virgin Islands. A collection of islands in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, the BVI is a British Overseas Territory with four main islands and more than 50 smaller islands and cays. The BVI has a history of issuing circulation coinage with horses in the design elements, making the Pegasus silver bullion issue a special addition.

Silver Angel Coins

The Silver Angel coin is one of two issues from Pobjoy Mint for the Isle of Man that features designs inspired by some of the earliest circulation gold coins used in the Kingdom of England. The Silver Angel 1 oz coin has a limited mintage of 15,000 in total and features a reverse design of Saint Michael slaying a dragon. Saint Michael’s powerful figure stands over the dragon with wings on his back and a halo over his head. With a shield bearing the cross on his right arm, he slays the dragon with a spear in his left hand.

2018 Isle of Man Silver Angel Coins feature a design inspired by the Medieval Gold Angel coin issued in England. Those coins were first struck during the reign of King Edward IV in 1465 and represented a revival of the previously issued Gold Noble coins from the 13^th century. The value of Gold Angel coins issued by the Kingdom of England ranged from 6 shillings 8 pence to 11 shillings.

Silver Noble Coins

Pobjoy Mint also issued a 2018 1 oz Silver Noble coin along with the Silver Angel. The reverse of the Silver Noble coin features the image of a Viking longboat sailing the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean with a cross-hatched sail and seagulls flying nearby just above the waters of the sea. The design on this side is a clever nod to both the former Gold Angel coin and the history of the Isle of Man.

Gold Noble coins were the first mass-produced gold coins in England, though they never gained the widespread use and mintage figures of the later Gold Angel coins. The English Gold Noble was used from 1344 when it was introduced until the coinage revolutions that took place during the rule of King Edward IV. A central theme in the design of Gold Noble coins was the vision of England’s reigning monarch aboard a sailing ship.

Now, the use of the Viking longboat in this distinctive Pobjoy Mint design combines the design concept of the Gold Noble coins with the history of the Isle of Man. Today, the Isle of Man is a self-governing British crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. Historically, however, the island was controlled by Viking warriors from Norway. In fact, in the 9^th century Norsemen established a kingdom on the island known as the Kingdom of the Isles. By 1099, Magnus III, King of Norway, ruled as the King of Mann as well. It wasn’t until 1266 that the island came closer to British control when the Treaty of Perth granted control of the island to Scotland. It eventually became part of the English Crown in 1399.

Both the Silver Angel and Silver Noble coins from the Pobjoy Mint share the same obverse design. This new, exclusive Pobjoy Mint portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is from Jody Clark and offers the most up-to-date depiction of Her Majesty. Clark is the same man who created the fifth-generation design in use by the Royal Mint of England, but his design for Pobjoy Mint captures the Queen’s neckline and shoulders, and features her wearing the Royal Diadem crown.

Commemorative Falkland Islands Liberation Silver Coin

The Pobjoy Mint also has a history of producing commemorative collectible coins. The most notable one in recent years is the 2017 1 oz Falkland Islands Anniversary of Liberation Coin. With a limited mintage of 42,671 coins, this 1 oz .999 pure silver coin comes in Brilliant Uncirculated condition with a reverse frosted finish similar to the Pegasus Series. The coins marked the 35^th Anniversary in 2017 of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands. A British crown asset since 1833, the Falkland Islands are also claimed by Argentina and lay off the coast of the South American nation. In 1982, Argentine forces invaded the island to try and force its reintegration as a part of Argentina. The United Kingdom sent a force of Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines to retake the island, resulting in a 74-day conflict that took the lives of 255 British military personnel and 649 Argentine soldiers.

On the reverse of the coins is a stunning depiction of Britannia, the female personification of Britain. She stands wearing her Corinthian helmet with a trident in hand as you notice the waves of the ocean roiling in the background. The obverse features the same Jody Clark design of Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait.

Background on the Pobjoy Mint

Pobjoy Mint was established by the Pobjoy family in 1965 as a private mint and remains a family-owned and operated institution. The mint is responsible for the manufacture of legal tender coinage for more than 10 British Overseas Territories, while also producing medal, medallions, tokens, and other numismatic products. Examples of the BOT locations Pobjoy produces for includes, but is not limited to, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, the British Indian Ocean Territory, Ascension Island, the Bahamas, and the Falkland Islands.

Purchasing Pobjoy Mint Silver Bullion from JM Bullion

If you have any questions about the availability and variety of Pobjoy Mint coins, don’t hesitate to ask. JM Bullion customer service is available to you at 800-276-6508, online using our live chat, and via our email address.