The Royal Mint has brought its second monster to life. The Frankenstein 2026 bullion coin, issued in 1oz of .999 fine silver and 1oz of .9999 fine gold, is the follow-up to last year’s Count Dracula release and confirms that the Mint’s Gothic Horror range is a series with a future rather than a single Halloween novelty. The Royal Mint describes the issue as its second release celebrating Gothic horror, and like its predecessor it is capped at 50,000 coins worldwide in silver and 5,000 in gold.
The pairing has a neat irony to it. The series opened with Bram Stoker’s vampire, then reached back almost eight decades to the novel that arguably started it all. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was first published in 1818, Dracula in 1897, which means the Royal Mint is building its horror canon in reverse.
Where the Gothic Horror Series Began
The range launched in October 2025 with the Count Dracula coins. Greysheet reported that the reverse was designed by American artist Joel Iskowitz and showed a cloaked Dracula in the foreground, with a castle behind him, a full moon, and bats circling overhead. The legend COUNT DRACULA ran along the left rim, with the weight and fineness on the right.
The specifications set the template that Frankenstein now follows. Dracula was struck as a £100 coin in 999.9 gold with a maximum mintage of 5,000, and as a £2 coin in .999 silver capped at 50,000, each in a 1oz format. At the time, the Mint presented it as the opening coin of a new series devoted to Gothic horror, but named nothing to come after it. Collectors were left to guess which monster would answer the call.
The Frankenstein Design
The answer, it turns out, is the original. For the second coin the Royal Mint turned to a new artist, William Webb, whose reverse places the creature front and centre, broad shouldered and staring straight out at the viewer. The Mint notes that the design frames the monster with dramatic lightning and the apparatus of his creation, and on the gold version it highlights the visible stitching that has defined the character on page and screen for two centuries.
The legend reads FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER, and that possessive is quietly the most correct thing about the coin. Victor Frankenstein is the scientist; his creation is never given a name in Shelley’s novel. Generations of film posters have blurred the two, but the Royal Mint has kept the distinction, with the fineness and weight set along the right rim and the year 2026 at the base.
The obverse carries Martin Jennings’ effigy of King Charles III, with the denomination in the legend: 2 POUNDS on the silver, 100 POUNDS on the gold.
Security, Size and Status
Both coins carry the Royal Mint’s current bullion security features: microdots in the reverse design and guilloche engraving on the obverse. They are bullion pieces, sold in single coin capsules, and as UK legal tender they are exempt from capital gains tax for UK residents. The gold coin is also VAT free for private buyers who are not VAT registered.
| Version | Denomination | Metal | Diameter | Maximum mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankenstein 2026 1oz silver | £2 | .999 fine silver | 1.52 in (38.61 mm) | 50,000 |
| Frankenstein 2026 1oz gold | £100 | .9999 fine gold | 1.29 in (32.69 mm) | 5,000 |
What Comes Next
With two coins in hand, the Gothic Horror range now has a shape: one classic monster a year, struck in matched 1oz gold and silver at fixed limits, with a change of artist between releases. Dracula proved the theme could sell; Frankenstein proves the Royal Mint intends to keep going. For collectors who bought the vampire last October, the Frankenstein 2026 bullion coin is the obvious second piece, and the more interesting question is no longer whether a third monster is coming, but which one the Mint will dig up next.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Frankenstein 2026 bullion coin? The Frankenstein 2026 bullion coin is a Royal Mint 1oz bullion issue in silver and gold honouring Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein. It is the second release in the Royal Mint’s Gothic Horror series, following the Count Dracula coins of 2025. The reverse, by William Webb, shows Frankenstein’s monster surrounded by lightning and laboratory apparatus.
How many Frankenstein coins are being made? The silver coin is limited to 50,000 pieces worldwide and the gold coin to 5,000. These are the same limits the Royal Mint set for the Count Dracula coins in 2025.
Why does the coin say “Frankenstein’s Monster” and not just “Frankenstein”? In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein is the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature he builds is never given a name. The coin’s legend follows the book rather than popular usage, so the figure on the reverse is correctly identified as Frankenstein’s monster.
What was the first coin in the Royal Mint’s Gothic Horror series? The series began with the Count Dracula 2025 bullion coins, released in October 2025. Designed by Joel Iskowitz, they show Dracula in his cloak before a castle, a full moon and bats, and were struck in 1oz gold (5,000 maximum) and 1oz silver (50,000 maximum).
Who designed the Frankenstein coin? The reverse was designed by William Webb. The obverse carries Martin Jennings’ portrait of King Charles III, the standard effigy used on current Royal Mint bullion.
Are the Frankenstein coins pure silver and gold? Yes. The silver coin is 1 troy ounce of .999 fine silver with a £2 face value, and the gold coin is 1 troy ounce of .9999 fine gold with a £100 face value. Both are bullion quality rather than proof.
How do I buy the Frankenstein 2026 coins? Both coins are sold through the Royal Mint’s bullion investment site, where they are priced against the live metal market with discounts for larger quantities. They come in single coin capsules and can be delivered or stored in the Royal Mint’s vault.
Do the Frankenstein coins have security features? Yes. Both carry microdots within the reverse design and guilloche engraving on the obverse, the anti-counterfeiting features the Royal Mint now uses across its bullion range.
