The original coinage of the United Kingdom was a coin made from silver. Fine silver had drawbacks on its use because of easy clipping. That prompted Henry II during the 12th century to mint coins with a silver grade of 92.5% and the remainder to be copper. The name pound sterling, the unit of British currency, is derived from measuring the silver sterling in Tower pound weight system, a measuring system used by early Britons.

The use of silver in minting coins stopped during 1947; however, the Maundy coinage made from sterling silver is still existent today in limited quantities. The distribution of Maundy coins that have face values in British pound sterling is only attributed to ceremonial rites and the British monarch’s occasions.

The Maundy coins of the Britons are among the popular varieties of coins archived by coin collectors. The coins are still legal tenders in Britain; however, their worth is higher than the value they represent.

Maundy coins are among the collectible coins in British coin collecting, a hobby of collecting old and recent British coins. Aside from the Maundy coins, the gold coins of the British are among the valued items in British coin collecting. The use of gold besides the silver was a standard replacing the latter unofficially in Great Britain in its history of trading and dealing with obligations with other countries. The minting of gold coins or gold bullion coins is in production since 1987. The bullion coins with a name Britannia on their faces are available as legal tenders in the United Kingdom.

The British coin collecting, today, has so many components in its archives. Hobbyists who are into British coin collecting have the reasons and the advantages of keeping many coins of British contents in their albums. For one, the British coins evolve in every monarch. The coins of the British are almost as old as the British monarchy with a lot of evolutions in its monetary system.

Some types of British coins are made from a part of precious metals. That would make some British coins to be highly valuable. Currently, the coins of Britain have the face of its reigning and the world’s most-loved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The attractions of the current British coins are numerous. A day may come when the queen’s heir may take the British crown. That would mean another face will be minted on the British coins. It would also signify that recent items in British coin collecting would have its greater value in the future.

British coin collecting is a hobby seriously indulged by many. A competition is held with categories and criteria of keeping antique, unique or recent British coins.