In 2003 the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Britannia £25 Twenty Five Pound Gold Proof Coin struck in solid 22 Carat Gold weighing one-quarter of an ounce of pure Gold Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR70 DCAM.
The Britannia Coins for 2003 bear a new reverse design by the award winning sculptor Philip Nathan, creator of the three previous Britannia designs used since the Britannia range made its introduction in 1987.
In deciding to extend the Britannia series, it was more or less inevitable that Philip Nathan should be given the commission to develop the theme of Britannia.
His new design for the 2003 Britannia £25 Twenty Five Pound Gold Proof Coins provide a representation of the head of Britannia wearing a helmet, a traditional attribute of Britannia and an indication that she is not defenceless.
The superimposing of a wave pattern conveys a sense of Britannia's nautical background, an aspect along with Britannia's essential Britishness that Philip Nathan has always been keen to emphasise.
There is a unity, too, in the retention of the crenellated border which has been a feature of Philip Nathan's Britannia designs since the original issue of 1987.
The obverse of the 2003 Britannia £25 Twenty Five Pound Gold Coin features Ian Rank Broadley's portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.