Since 2016, one of the best-selling collection of bullion from the Royal Mint of England has been the Queen’s Beast Series. These beautiful bullion coins have been available in silver, gold, and platinum across a range of weights with designs from Jody Clark. The same man who created the Royal Mint’s fifth-generation effigy of Queen Elizabeth II now featured on the obverse of all British coinage, Mr. Clark reimagined the statues of James Woodford for the reverse designs in the series. In all, 10 reverse designs were issued in this series to celebrate the 10 heraldic beasts known as the Queen’s Beasts. Now, Hotco makes it possible for you to own these heraldic beasts in a silver statue form that is closer to Woodford’s original works of art. Explore the possibilities of the beautiful 100 oz Queen’s Beast 10-Statue Silver Set in this week’s JM Bullion blog.
The Set
Hotco introduced the silver statues of the Queen’s Beasts range for sale individually. Each one of the statues developed by Hotco is a beautiful 3D depiction of the statues that James Woodford originally worked on for several months from late 1952 into 1953. The individual statues contain 10 Troy oz of actual silver content. When refining silver statues, Hotco uses sterling silver content, which translates to 92.5% silver in each piece. Like all other Hotco products, each statue comes with laser-etched inscriptions on the base that identify the weight, purity, and a unique serial number.
In the case of the beautiful 100 oz Antique Finish Queen’s Beast 10-Statue Silver Set, all 10 statues ship together inside of a box with protective wrapping materials around each statue and a Certificate of Authenticity available from Hotco. The statues bear their individual inscriptions on the base, with all statues boasting Hotco’s proprietary antique polish. The polish creates heirloom-quality visual appeal for each piece and helps to highlight the intricate elements of each and every detail in the design. Most importantly, there are only 100 of these silver statue sets available, resulting in very low availability and a great chance to own a unique representation of English Royal history.
The Beasts
As Queen Elizabeth II entered Westminster Abbey in 1953 for her official coronation ceremony as the next English monarch, she was greeted by 10 heraldic beasts stretching back more than 750 years in her nation’s history to the very first, and most important, heraldic beast: the Lion of England. Together with the Lion of England were other heraldic beasts brought to the Royal Arms of England by monarchs from the House of Plantagenet, House of York, House of Lancaster, House of Tudor, House of Stewart, and the House of Hanover. Totaling 10 in all, these heraldic beasts include:
- Lion of England: the only crowned beast, the Lion of England is the most important in English heraldry. Adopted by King Richard I in the first-ever official Royal Arms of England, the Lion wears the Imperial State Crown upon its head and supports the modern Royal Arms shield.
- Griffin of Edward III: one of the oldest heraldic beasts alongside the Lion of England, the Griffin of Edward III comes from the legendary Medieval English monarch King Edward III. Reigning for 50 years, he established the military might of Medieval England and repaired the kingdom following his father’s reign. The Griffin is the most popular “monster” in English heraldry, combing the body of a lion with the head and wings of an eagle, the two most popular and powerful beasts in heraldry.
- Red Dragon of Wales: the oldest heraldic beast spoken of in the lore of the British Isles, the Red Dragon originates in the old kingdoms of what is now Wales. The Red Dragon came to the Royal Arms through the Tudors, but traces its roots to the last native Prince of Wales. Queen Elizabeth II established the Red Dragon as the official symbol of the Welsh flag in 1959.
- Unicorn of Scotland: no other animal is more prominent in English heraldry into the modern era than the Unicorn of Scotland. Long-used by Scottish kings, the mythical Unicorn came to the Royal Arms of England in 1603 with the ascension of King James VI of Scotland as the new King of England. Ruling as King James I of England, he was the first monarch from the House of Stewart and brought the Unicorn alongside the Lion of England as supporters of the Royal Arms shield.
- Falcon of the Plantagenets: the House of Plantagenet ruled the English throne from 1154 until 1485. The original monarchs were directly descended from Angevins who came from the counts of Anjou in France, and later monarchs came from the cadet houses of York and Lancaster. The Falcon of the Plantagenets was originally adopted by King Edward III and later featured in the personal badge of King Edward IV with the inclusion of an open fetterlock to symbolize a legitimate claim to the throne.
- Black Bull of Clarence: another symbol associated with King Edward IV, first monarch from the House of York, the Black Bull of Clarence comes from Lionel of Antwerp who was the son of King Edward III and 1st Duke of Clarence. The Black Bull supports the shield of the monarchs of the House of Lancaster and House of Tudor.
- Yale of Beaufort: arguably the most unique beast in English heraldry is the Yale of Beaufort. First described by Romans, particularly the author Pliny the elder, the yale is said to have the “size of a hippopotamus, an elephant’s tail, black or brown colorization, the jaws of a boar, and horns.” In English heraldry, the yale is depicted with the body of a goat and head of a boar. It is most closely associated with King Henry VII, first monarch of the House of Tudor, and it comes from his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort.
- White Lion of Mortimer: Richard of York was believed to have been promised the throne of England upon the death of King Henry, but his own death before that time left it to his sons to later claim the throne. King Edward IV and King Richard III, the first and final monarchs from the House of York, respectively, featured the White Lion of Mortimer prominently during their reigns. The White Lion of Mortimer comes from the Mortimer Family Coat of Arms and is uncrowned.
- White Horse of Hanover: the White Horse of Hanover is the most recent addition to the Royal Arms and originated with the rise of George, Elector of Hanover, following the death of Queen Anne and the end of the House of Stewart. King George I added to the White Horse of Hanover to the Royal Arms when he ascended the throne in 1714. The White Horse supports the Royal Arms used from 1714 to 1837.
- White Greyhound of Richmond: yet another heraldic beast stemming from the lineage of King Edward III, this comes from his son John of Gaunt. John was Earl of Richmond and the father to the later House of Lancaster monarchs, including King Henry IV. The White Greyhound of Richmond supports a shield with the famed Tudor Rose, a double-rose design symbolizing Henry VII’s union of the House of York and House of Lancaster with his marriage to Elizabeth of York.
The History of the Beasts
While the history of each beast is noted above, the statues upon which the silver pieces in this 100 oz set are based come from James Woodford in the 20th century. The Royal Sculptor at the time, Woodford was commissioned to create heraldic statues to greet Elizabeth II upon her arrival at Westminster Abbey for her coronation ceremony in 1953. Woodford was paid 2,750 Pound sterling to create the 10 statues, each of which stood six feet tall and weighed more than 700 lbs.
Get Your Complete Queen’s Beast Set from JM Bullion
The 100 oz Antique Finish Queen’s Beast 10-Statue Silver Set is now available to you for purchase from JM Bullion. Please contact us at 800-276-6508 with questions, or connect with us online using our live chat and email address features. Don’t forget to keep up with our weekly blog posts and follow us on Facebook for more information.
