The Royal Mint said that details regarding minimum quantities and storage prices will be available in December.

Meanwhile, it has also unveiled a range of new bullion products; the 2013 collection includes the 22 carat gold Gold Sovereign, and the Silver Britannia and Gold Britannia, which are now struck from 0.999 (three nines) of fine silver and 0.9999 (four nines) of fine gold respectively. The Sovereign and Britannia coins will be issued as legal tender, and are exempt from tax on capital gains in the UK.                                              

The Silver Britannia and Gold Britannia coins feature the legendary portrait of Britannia, which the firm said has been a popular choice with bullion investors since its introduction in 1987.

"The Royal Mint already has a client base of private investors, leading banks, advisors and dealers from the bullion marketplace, but we are now taking a more proactive approach to acquiring new customers through developing our bullion proposition and growing the team," said Nick Bowkett, bullion manager.

As reported yesterday, private investors took advantage of attractive gold prices to add to their holdings last month, according to the Gold Investor Index compiled by BullionVault, the online gold and silver exchange. October’s index reading came in at 56, up from 52.5 in September. This marked the index’s third successive monthly gain, and its strongest reading since May.