The Royal Mint launched the Valiant in 2018 with a genuine technical first: it's the Mint's first-ever coin struck with an incuse design, meaning the St. George-and-dragon artwork is recessed below the coin's surface rather than raised in the usual relief — a visually distinct and technically more demanding striking method than virtually every other coin on this site. The debut release came in an unusually large 10 oz .9999 fine silver format rather than the standard 1 oz most series launch with, and the Mint added a more conventional 1 oz size the following year, in 2019, giving buyers a more accessible entry point alongside the original large-format coin.
The incuse design is the Valiant's defining feature and the main reason to choose it over a more conventional Britannia or Queen's Beasts coin — buyers specifically interested in striking technique and design novelty are the natural audience here. Because the 10 oz format requires meaningfully more capital than a standard 1 oz coin, most new buyers should start with the 2019-onward 1 oz size unless they're specifically after the large-format debut piece.
The dates serious Valiant collectors specifically chase — the rest of the run trades close to melt value.
First release, launched in a 10 oz format depicting St. George slaying the dragon — notably the Royal Mint's first-ever coin struck with an incuse (recessed, below-surface) design rather than the usual raised relief.
A 1 oz size was added a year after the original 10 oz launch, giving the series a more standard, widely-accessible format alongside its large-format debut size.
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Start tracking freeIt's the Royal Mint's first-ever coin struck with an incuse design — the St. George-and-dragon artwork sits recessed below the coin's surface rather than raised in the usual relief, a distinct and more demanding striking technique.
10 troy oz — an unusually large debut format compared to most bullion coins' standard 1 oz launch size. A more conventional 1 oz size was added in 2019.
For a buyer specifically interested in its incuse design technique, yes — it's a genuinely different product from the Britannia's standard raised-relief strike, not simply another UK silver coin with the same appeal.