Britannia Silver (958)
Also: 958 Silver, Britannia Standard, Britannia Silver Standard
Britannia silver denotes a silver alloy with a fineness of 958 ‰ (95.8%), introduced in England in 1697 as a higher standard alongside sterling silver (925 ‰).
Britannia silver is a silver alloy with a legally defined minimum fineness of 958 ‰ (95.8% pure silver). The remaining share of up to 42 ‰ usually consists of copper, which improves mechanical strength. With this content, Britannia silver lies well above the widely used sterling silver (925 ‰) and is regarded as one of the purest silver standards for coins and precious-metal objects.
Historical Background
The standard was introduced by the British state in 1697 to curb the abuse then rife: silver coins were being clipped on a large scale and their metal used to make silverware. By raising the alloy standard for silverware to 958 ‰ — higher than the coin standard of 925 ‰ — the melting down of coins was intended to become economically unattractive. The standard is named after the allegorical figure Britannia, who personifies the United Kingdom.
From 1697 to 1720, Britannia silver was the compulsory British standard for silverware; since then sterling silver has again been the main British standard for silverware, though Britannia silver has remained as an approved, higher-grade alternative.
Britannia Silver Today: Coins and Bars
Since 1997, the Royal Mint has annually struck the well-known Britannia silver coin — however, this has a fineness of 999 ‰, not 958 ‰. The Britannia silver standard (958 ‰) applies to silverware and cutlery, not to modern bullion coins. The 1 oz version of the silver coin is the best-known denomination; it is also available in 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz.
| Fineness | Standard | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| 999 ‰ | Fine silver | Bars, Britannia coin (Royal Mint) |
| 958 ‰ | Britannia silver | Silverware, cutlery (UK hallmark) |
| 925 ‰ | Sterling silver | Jewellery, cutlery, coins |
| 835 ‰ | 835 silver | Older Continental European cutlery |
| 800 ‰ | 800 silver | Older Central European silver |
You can determine the current silver price and the resulting material value of your Britannia pieces using the melt value calculator or the silver calculator.
Calculating Fine Weight
The fineness of 958 ‰ feeds directly into the melt value calculation:
Fine weight (g) = Gross weight (g) × 0.958
Material value = Fine weight (g) × Silver price (€/g)
A 100 g piece of silver cutlery in Britannia quality therefore contains 95.8 g of fine silver. (Note: the modern 1 oz Britannia coin of the Royal Mint has 999 ‰ fineness, not 958 ‰.)
Tax Notes
In Malta, the purchase of silver coins and bars — unlike investment gold, which is VAT-exempt under Directive 2006/112/EC — is subject to the standard Maltese VAT rate of 18%. When you sell silver as a private individual, Malta levies no capital gains tax on the disposal of movable private property, so a gain from a private sale is not taxed (unlike Germany, where a one-year holding period under § 23 EStG applies). This is not tax or investment advice.
In Brief
Britannia silver (958 ‰) is a British silver standard recognised since 1697 with a higher fineness than sterling silver (925 ‰). It marks above all silverware and cutlery of British manufacture. Note: the modern Britannia silver coin of the Royal Mint (since 1997) has a fineness of 999 ‰ — while it carries the name Britannia, it does not correspond to the 958 alloy standard.