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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 rarely found in general circulation. As of 1 November 2024, the silver content of each coin (in bullion quantities) was worth about £46.

Design

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

Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)

The first minting of a new commemorative coin denominated £100 was announced on 29 December 2014. The coins contain 62.86 grams (2.021 troy ounces; 2.217 ounces) of fine silver, with a diameter of 40.00 millimetres (1.575 in). The first mintage of this denomination totalled 50,000 coins.

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.

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 62.86 grams (2.021 ozt) and having a diameter of 40.00 millimetres (1.575 in).

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.

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 62.86 grams (2.021 ozt) and having a diameter of 40.00 millimetres (1.575 in).

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. 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

• Coins of the pound sterling
• Twenty pounds (British coin)

References

1. ^ Paton, Ryan; Parkman, Chloe (29 October 2021). "Man arrested for using £100 coin in Tesco wins £5,000 in damages". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
2. "Historical Currency Converter". OANDA.com. Retrieved 3 November 2021. using 'XAG' and GBP as the 'currency' pair. The source gives GBP per troy ounce (about £23 midline for the six months ending 31/10/24). 62.86g = 2.021ozt => £46.46. Discarding false precision, call it £46.
3. ^ "Royal Mint makes £100 coin featuring Big Ben clock tower". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
4. ^ "Big Ben 2015 UK 100 pound Fine Silver Coin". Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
5. ^ "Buckingham Palace 2015 UK £100 Fine Silver Coin". Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
6. "Trafalgar Square £100 Coin". Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
7. ^ "Legal Tender Guidelines". The Royal Mint. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
8. Morgan, Charles; Walker, Hubert (27 March 2016). "How The Royal Mint is Attempting to Redefine "Legal Tender" for Collector Coins". CoinWeek. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

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