The scarcity of a coin is one of my top five criteria when selecting pieces to recommend for your Portfolio.

As I explain in our free downloadable Expert Guide, edition limits play a vital part in creating a meaningful Portfolio.

With significant edition limit reductions in comparison to their counterpart Proof issues, Piedfort coins are an obvious choice for any Portfolio.

What are Piedfort coins?

Double the thickness of a standard coin, Piedforts (pronounced “pee-ay-fore”) are often the pinnacle of a Mint’s craftsmanship.

They date back to 13th century France and literally translate to “heavy foot” or, more accurately, “heavyweight”. They were usually given as prestigious gifts to symbolise power and wealth.

However it was only in 1982 that The Royal Mint returned to this tradition, now striking a tiny fraction of UK commemorative coins as Piedfort issues each year.

Why should I collect Piedfort coins?

Piedforts are favoured by collectors for the most part due to their rarity.

Because Piedfort coins have considerably smaller edition limits than standard Proof coins, they have some of the strongest sell-out records of any British coins.

Unsurprisingly, royalty themed Piedforts hold the fastest sell-out records – the 2017 Sapphire Jubilee £5 Piedfort sold out in just under a week with an edition limit of 3,000.

The reduced edition limits and resulting sell-out potential is why I believe Piedfort coins are an essential for any Portfolio.

To find out the other criteria I use for selecting which coins to recommend, you can download my 5 Point Checklist to owning Gold and Silver coins here.