The one hundred pound coin (ã100) is a commemorative denomination of sterling coinage. Issued for the first time by the Royal Mint in 2015 and sold at face value, ã100 coins hold legal tender status but are intended as collector's items and are rarely found in general circulation. , the silver content of each coin (in bullion quantities) was worth about ã46.
The designs which have appeared on the ã100 coin's reverse are summarised in the table below.
The first minting of a new commemorative coin denominated ã100 was announced on 29 December 2014. The coins contain of fine silver, with a diameter of . The first mintage of this denomination totalled 50,000 coins.
The 2015 issue features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and an image of Elizabeth Tower, often called Big Ben after the bell it houses, on the reverse.
In August 2015, the Royal Mint announced a second ã100 coin would be minted. The new issue, as with the previous one, would be limited to 50,000 coins, each made of .999 fine silver, weighing and having a diameter of .
This second issue features an image of Buckingham Palace by Glyn Davies and Laura Clancy on the reverse, while on the obverse is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, making it the first face-value coin to feature that portrait.
In 2016, the Royal Mint announced a third ã100 coin would be minted, featuring Trafalgar Square. The new issue was limited to 45,000 coins, each made of .999 fine silver, weighing and having a diameter of .
The prolific issuance since 2013 of silver commemorative ã20, ã50 and ã100 coins at face value has led to attempts to spend or deposit these coins, prompting the Royal Mint to clarify the legal tender status of these coins. Royal Mint guidelines advise that, although the coins were approved as legal tender, they are considered limited edition collectables not intended for general circulation, and hence shops and banks are not obliged to accept them.