New Royal Mint gold bars can be authenticated by ‘rotating them in the light'
The Royal Mint is bringing security features to gold bars that already exist on its coins, allowing investors to authenticate their purchase simply by rotating them in the light.
The new Britannia bullion bar range features four security elements, including latent imagery acting like a hologram.
The image changes from a padlock to a trident when viewed from different angles.
The second feature is micro detailing, creating the illusion of waves rolling behind the figure of Britannia when the bar is rotated.
Micro text is another feature, with an inscription reading: 'Decus et Tutamen' ('an ornament and a safeguard') surrounding Britannia, created using specialist lasers.
The fourth feature is tincture lines, depicting colours and patterns on metal.
The bars are also protected by tamper-proof packaging and extra layers of protection including a UV watermark and a serial number.
Andrew Dickey, director of precious metals for the Royal Mint, said: 'By extending these innovative security features to our bars, we're giving investors even greater confidence when purchasing our products.
'We have seen unprecedented demand for physical precious metals as investors increasingly look to diversify their portfolios through 'safe haven' assets.
'These new enhancements ensure authenticity and offer greater protection for investors, setting a new benchmark for excellence in the precious metals industry.'
The Royal Mint uses advanced picosecond lasers – technology used in medicine and aerospace – in the production of bullion products.
The technology enables the Mint to create complex designs using indents which are 200 times narrower than the width of a human hair.
The gold Britannia bullion minted bar range, from 1g to 100g, is available to purchase from the Mint's website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
David Lammy repeatedly declines to say whether British government believes US strikes on Iran were illegal
Update: Date: 2025-06-23T07:53:06.000Z Title: Welcome and opening summary … Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of UK politics. Here are the headlines … Foreign secretary David Lammy has repeatedly declined to say whether the British government believes US strikes on Iran were illegal. Prime minister Keir Starmer has warned of a 'risk of escalation' in the Middle East and beyond, backing the strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and calling on Tehran to return to negotiations The government has promised electricity costs for thousands of businesses will be cut by scrapping green levies as a key part of a 10-year industrial strategy. Starmer said the plan marks a 'turning point for Britain's economy' Reform UK are to offer wealthy foreigners and returning British expats a bespoke tax regime in exchange for a one-off payment of £250,000 with all funds collected redistributed to Britain's lowest-paid workers, the party claims There are quite a few things in the diary for the day. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds will be out promoting the government's industry strategy. Health secretary Wes Streeting is giving a speech in London, while opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is appearing at a Policy Exchange event at lunchtime. Minister Stephen Doughty will be appearing before the foreign affairs committee discussing the Chagos agreement, while Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn faces the Northern Ireland affairs committee. In the Commons there are questions on work and pensions and a general debate on Pride month. It is Martin Belam with you today. You can reach me at
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
The Original Factory Shop launches 80% off closing down sales ahead of shutting NINE stores this week
THE Original Factory Shop is shutting nine stores this week as up to 80% off closing down sales are launched at a host of locations. The fragrance, homeware and fashion retailer is pulling down the shutters on shops across the UK between Thursday and Saturday. 1 One branch in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, will permanently close on June 26, while eight others will shut on June 28, including stores in Pershore, Worcestershire, and Shaftesbury, Dorset. Closing down sales have been launched at a number of the soon-to-be shut shops. Prices at the Milford Haven site have been slashed by 30% with discounts on drinks, perfume and footwear. The Pershore branch has also reduced prices on beauty and pet products, jewellery and more by up to 50%. The Normanton branch has also cut prices by up to 50%, while stock at the Middlewich store is selling for up to 80% off. Here is the full list of The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) branches set to close this week, as well as three others shutting from July: Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 26 Perth - June 28 Chester Le Street, County Durham - June 28 Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June 28 Shaftesbury, Dorset - June 28 Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Cupar, Fife - July 27 Middlewich, Cheshire - TBC News of the branches closing this week has not been met well by shoppers and locals. Commenting on the Abroath closure, one customer said: "Another one bites the dust on the high street. "Going to be a ghost town soon enough." Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down A second, commenting on the Pershore closure, said: "End of an era that is." A third, finding out about the Cupar branch shutting, said: "So sorry to see you're closing down." What's happening with The Original Factory Shop? TOFS was bought by Modella Capital in February which has since launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 of the retail chain's stores. Modella, a private equity firm, is known for taking on struggling retailers, having recently acquired Hobbycraft and WHSmith 's high street shops. Modella drew up plans to initiate a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) for TOFS at the end of April. A CVA is a way of restructuring that means a business can continue trading while negotiating its debts, for example by cutting rent costs with landlords. A TOFS spokesperson previously told The Press and Journal a "number of loss-making stores will have to close" as part of the CVA. They continued: "Closing stores is always a tough decision and we are committed to keeping as many stores open as possible. "This is, however, dependent on successful negotiations with landlords as we strive to build a sustainable and successful business for the future." The Original Factory shop has already shuttered more than a dozen stores over the past 12 months. These are the locations that closed in 2024: Brightlingsea, Essex Bodmin, Cornwall Chepstow, Wales Fakenham, Norfolk Harwich, Essex Mildenhall, Suffolk Padiham, Lancashire Taunton, Somerset Deal, Kent Haverfordwest, Wales HIGH STREET STRUGGLES The Original Factory Shop is not the only retailer languishing across the high street. The retail sector has struggled for years, with thousands of shops closing across the UK. The Centre for Retail Research has described the sector as going through a "permacrisis" since the 2008 financial crash. In 2024 alone, more than 13,000 high street stores were shuttered for good, according to the Centre. It is also predicting the number of store closures to rise this year, blaming the increase on a hike to employer National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs would cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research published by the British Chambers of Commerce earlier this year shows that more than half of companies planned to raise prices by early April. Separately, the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Woody Johnson signs £190m deal to buy John Textor's shares in Crystal Palace
Woody Johnson has agreed a deal to buy John Textor's stake in Crystal Palace, with a sale to the New York Jets owner likely to be ratified by the Premier League within four weeks. In a move that could be a major boost to Palace's hopes of playing in next season's Europa League, it is understood that Johnson's offer of £190m for Textor's 44.9% stake was signed on Sunday evening in the United States. The 78-year-old, who has owned the Jets since 2000 and missed out on buying Chelsea in 2022 after making a $2bn offer, mustpass the Premier League's owners' and directors' test before he can complete the purchase. But it is understood that with Palace under pressure from Uefa to comply with its regulations on multi club ownership, the league is expected to act swiftly to aid their cause. A decision on the FA Cup winners' participation in the Europa League is due this week, although it is believed this latest development will be looked on favourably by Uefa. Textor has come under increasing pressure from Palace's chair, Steve Parish, and the other co-owners – Textor's fellow Americans Josh Harris and David Blitzer – to complete the sale as quickly as possible. The four Palace co-owners were part of the delegation that attended a meeting at Uefa's headquarters in Nyon this month and argued that Textor, the majority shareholder in the French club Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League, does not have a decisive influence at Selhurst Park despite being the largest shareholder. It is expected that Johnson's arrival should clear the way for Oliver Glasner's side to take their place in the league stage. It remains to be seen whether the former US ambassador to the UK, who has made no secret of his desire to buy an English football club, has his sights on a full takeover. Harris and Blitzer, who bought stakes worth a combined 36% in 2015 and have portfolios of investments across a number of sports, are believed to be willing to sell, owing to concerns about the ballooning costs of building a new main stand, which some sources are predicting could reach up to £240m. Textor, who failed with an audacious attempt at a takeover of Palace in May in a last-ditch attempt to assume control, is understood to have been reluctant to leave the club in which he has invested about £180m since buying a 40% stake for almost £90m in August 2021. Yet he had a major falling-out with Parish, who owns just over 10% but is the executive chair of the managing company that is in charge of Palace and retains the casting vote, over resistance to embracing his Eagle Football network that also includes the South American champions Botafogo and the Belgian side Daring Brussels. Textor is expected to turn his attention to another English club. The former Palace owner Simon Jordan revealed last week that he recommended to Textor buying the Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, who were last week hit with a ban on transfer spending until 2027 last week for the repeated failure to pay players' wages. 'I was talking to John Textor the other day, and if he comes out of Palace, I was saying to him that is the football club you should be buying if you want to buy another English club,' said Jordan. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Textor failed with an attempt to buy Everton this year and has previously held talks with Watford's owner, Gino Pozzo, about investing at Vicarage Road.
