The organisation that prints notes and coins in the UK is bringing out a new service for investors in platinum.

The UK’s Royal Mint, the organisation that issues banknotes and coins, has launched its first-ever platinum bullion products, highlighting how the search for such “hard assets” from investors is generating such products.

The rollout of the platinum range is part of a partnership by the Royal Mint and the World Platinum Investment Council; that combination was originally announced in December last year, the Royal Mint said in a statement yesterday. The investment products are designed to be offered to retail clients. 

Yesterday, the 500 gramme and Kilo platinum bars were launched on the platform, to be followed in coming weeks by a 100g and 1 ounce platinum bar, and a 1oz “Queen’s Beats Lion of England” coin – the first platinum coin in the heraldic series.

The RM launched its online bullion site in 2014, becoming, it said, the first such mint to offer bullion coins and bars direct to individuals on a 24/7 basis.

(Science fact: platinum has an atomic number of 78.)