A tiny coin measuring 8mm across has been unveiled as the smallest created by the Royal Mint in nearly 1,000 years.

Available in gold or silver, the delicate coin weighs a 40th of an ounce and has been minted as part of a wider collection produced to celebrate Britannia, who first appeared on coins in Roman times.

The coin - the smallest the Mint has produced since the Norman Conquest in 1066 - is just under half the diameter of a 5p piece, which measures 1.8cm.

A spokeswoman for the Mint said the coin is the smallest it is able to make using current technology.

To produce the coin, staff needed to make sure they loaded tiny blanks meticulously into a 200-tonne press for striking.

The coin has the Queen on the heads side and an art deco-inspired depiction of Britannia on the tails side, designed by Jody Clark.

It shows Britannia, standing in front of a globe, accompanied by a lion with its tail draped around her feet.

Ms Clark said: "I feel there is a dynamism to the design. There is a sense of movement as Britannia's hair and robes flow, as does the mane of the lion, an iconic symbol of strength and pride that I was keen to include, and I hope that the two appear united as I intended them.

"Although the lion is at Britannia's feet, its tail is curled around her, protective and tamed."

Just 9,650 of the gold coins have been minted and they are available to buy from the Royal Mint at £50. The silver coins are available as part of a set which costs £200, with 1,750 available.

Although the coin has been produced for collectors, in theory it could be used in a shop as it is legal tender. However, there is little chance of this happening as its face value is just 50p.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.