“With this ring I thee wed, this gold and silver I thee give: with my body I thee worship: and with all my worldly goods I thee endow…”
The Royal Mint has captured the essence of a wedding day tradition which was first formalised over 450 years ago with the release of The Wedding Gold and Silver Coin Set – a gift that symbolises love, unity and prosperity, and combines The Royal Mint’s celebrated Britannia and Sovereign coins together for the first time.
Coins have long been associated with the wedding day ceremony, and are thought to bring luck and prosperity to the happy couple. The Book of Common Prayer, which first formalised the wedding ceremony in the reign of Edward VI in 1549, included the exchange of gold and silver, just as the bride and groom give rings on their wedding day, saying, “Then shall they again loosen their hands, and the man shall give unto the woman a ring, and other tokens of spousage, as gold and silver, laying the same upon the book.”
Specifications
About The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over 1,000 years. By the late thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and remained there for over 500 years. By 1812 The Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London’s Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in South Wales, UK.
While The Royal Mint’s finest traditions are always respected, it continually innovates in order to stay at the forefront of world minting, embracing the latest production techniques and technology in order to offer excellence to our clients across the globe. By underpinning our proud heritage with a highly progressive outlook, The Royal Mint produces coins that remain a byword for trust and reliability the world over.
There were estimated to be 28.9 billion UK coins in circulation at 31 March 2014 ,with a total face value of over £4 billion, all manufactured by The Royal Mint. In total, nearly 2 billion UK coins were issued during 2013-14.
As well as over 1,000 years of producing British coinage, The Royal Mint has long been trusted with the currencies of other countries. It has served more than 100 issuing authorities around the world and currently meets approximately 15% of global demand, making us the world’s leading export mint.
The Royal Mint has recently introduced a new fineness of Britannia bullion coins and a highly-secure on-site bullion vault storage facility, building on the gold Sovereign’s long-standing reputation for integrity, accuracy. This positions The Royal Mint and its bullion products as a premium proposition in this marketplace.
The Royal Mint has been making official military campaign medals since it was commissioned to make awards for soldiers who fought in the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The year 2012 was of particular significance for The Royal Mint’s medal-making team, with the manufacture of all 4,700 Victory Medals for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April 2014, The Royal Mint unveiled plans to develop a purpose-built visitor centre at its headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales. Construction is expected to be completed during 2016.
Philip Nathan’s elegant and feminine Britannia portrayed in .999 fine silver is combined with the gallant and masculine figure of Pistrucci’s St George on the 22 carat gold Sovereign. Presented in Brilliant Uncirculated finish, the familiar portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS features on the obverse of both coins. The set is presented in an elegant, highly polished wooden veneer case with a specially designed outer wrap, and a card to personalise with a special message.
Director of Commemorative Coin and Bullion, Shane Bissett said: “Tradition plays such an important role in the wedding ceremony, and coins have long been thought to bring luck and prosperity to the happy couple. The coins presented together symbolise unity and prosperity for the married life ahead, whilst the date on both coins records the special wedding year.”
