UK Queen's Beasts Silver Bullion Coins (2024)

Coins of the
UK Queen's Beasts
Silver Bullion Coin Series

2016 - Lion of England

The Lion of England:

As long as England has had a shield of its own, it has alwaysfeatured the lion in some form; which symbolizes bravery, strength, andvalor.

The Lion supports a shield showing the Arms of the United Kingdom as they have been since Queen Victoria's reign in 1837.

Inthe first and last quarters of the shield are the Lions of England,taken from the arms of Richard I, "The Lionheart" (1157–1199).

The Lion and tressure (armorial border) of Scotland appear in the second, and the harp of Ireland is in the third.

2017 - The Griffin of Edward III

The Griffin of Edward III:

The Griffin of Edward III is a fantastical beast, part eagle, partlion; considered a helpful creature, signifying courage and strengthcombined with guardianship, vigilance, swiftness, and keen vision.

It is associated with Edward III, who engraved it on his private seal and whose rule lasted for more than 50 years.

Theshield shows the Round Tower of Windsor Castle (where Edward III wasborn) with the Royal Standard flying from the turret, enclosed by twobranches of oak surmounted by the royal crown.

2018 - The Red Dragon of Wales

The Red Dragon of Wales:

The Red Dragon of the Queen’s Beasts was an emblem of Owen Tudor, aclaim to Welsh heritage that his son carried, who would become HenryVII.

Dragons are one of the most recognizable mythical beasts; they are frightening but wise and dominating creatures.

TheDragon holds a shield bearing a Lion in each quarter; this was the coatof arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales.

2018 - The Unicorn of Scotland

The Unicorn of Scotland:

Mythical tales about unicorns date back to 400 BC.

The unicorn is a symbol of elegance, grace, and purity and a beast that is hard to overcome.

From the end of the 16th century, two unicorns were adopted as supporters of the Scottish Royal Arms.

In 1603, the crown of England passed to James VI of Scotland, who then became James I of England.

He took as supporters of his Royal Arms a crowned lion of England and one of his Scottish unicorns.

The unicorn holds a shield showing the Royal Arms of Scotland, a lion ramping in a royal tressure adorned with fleur-de-lis.

2018 - The Black Bull of Clarence

The Black Bull of Clarence:

The Black Bull of Clarence is a ‘Yorkist’ beast that descended to theQueen through Edward IV, the first king of England from the House ofYork.

Seen as a symbol of strength, Edward IV used the Black Bull, as did his brother, Richard III, the last York king.

The shield has two quarters with the gold lions of England and two with the golden lilies.

2019 - The Yale of Beaufort

The Yale of Beaufort:

The Yale was a mythical beast, supposedly white and covered with gold spots, and able to swivel each of its horns independently.

It descends to the Queen through Henry VII, who inherited it from his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort.

The Yale holds the shield with blue and white quarters of Margaret’s arms and a goldenportcullisat the center, a badge used by Henry VII.

Theportcullis is part of the arms of Westminster City Council, home toWestminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabeth II's coronation was in 1953.

2019 - The Falcon of the Plantagenets

The Falcon of the Plantagenets:

The Falcon, first used by Edward III of the House of Plantagenet as his badge, has since been passed down to Queen Elizabeth II.

Edward III chose the symbol to embody his love of hawking, also known as falconry.

WhenHenry VII married Elizabeth of York, he united the houses of York andLancaster, known for using the falcon symbol regularly, which was alsosaid to be a favorite badge of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Falcon holds a shield depicting a white falcon within an open golden ‘fetterlock.’

2020 - The White Lion of Mortimer

The White Lion of Mortimer:

The White Lion of Mortimer relates to the Queen through Edward IV,who inherited the creature from his grandmother, the heiress of theMortimers.

Unlike the Lion of England, the White Lion of Mortimerhas no crown. In heraldry, Lions stand with their front paws raised, butthe Lion of Mortimer is shown sitting with its tail between its legs.

The shield has a white rose surrounded by a golden sun, known heraldically as a white rose en Soleil, a fusion of two separate emblems appearing on the Great Seals of Edward IV and Richard III.

The badge was also used by George VI, the Queen’s father, when he was Duke of York.

2020 - The White Horse of Hanover

The White Horse of Hanover:

The White Horse of Hanover was introduced into the Royal Arms in 1714when the crown of Great Britain passed to the Elector George ofHanover.

This grandson of Elizabeth Stuart, sister of Charles I, became George I, King of Britain, France, and Ireland.

The shield shows the leopards of England and the lion of Scotland in the first quarter, the fleur-de-lis of France in the second, and the Irish harp in the third quarter. The fourth quarter shows the Arms of Hanover.

2021 - The White Greyhound of Richmond

The White Greyhound of Richmond:

The White Greyhound of Richmond was a badge of John of Gaunt, 1stDuke of Lancaster, Earl of Richmond, and 3rd son of King Edward III; itwas also used by his son, King Henry IV, and especially by King HenryVII.

The Tudor double rose is on the shield; one rose withinanother, surmounted by a crown, symbolizes the union of the two cadethouses of Plantagenet—the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

King Henry VII used the White Greyhound throughout his reign.

2021 - Queen's Beasts Completer Coin

Queen's Beasts (Series) Completer Bullion Coin:

The Queen’s Beasts are ten legendary creatures who symbolize the historic ancestry of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Asa set of ten statues, each bearing the shield or crest of the familythey represented, they stood guard outside Westminster Abbey in 1953 asthe world watched Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

The Queen’sBeast mythical stories have been re-imagined for the twenty-firstcentury in a series of ten popular coin designs by the celebrateddesigner Jody Clark.

You can now own the Queen's Beasts Completer Bullion Coin, in gold, silver, or platinum, which features all tenQueen’s Beastssurrounding the Queen's profile.

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