British Gold Queen’s Beast Coins from JM Bullion
One of the most stirring coin programs offered by the Royal Mint of England is the Queen’s Beast Collection. The sovereign coinage of England and the Britannia collection are brilliant in their own right as investment-grade bullion coins, but only the Queen’s Beast Series offers three different metallic options with a variety of weights in both bullion and proof options.
The Queen’s Beast Series of coins digs deep into the heraldic background of the Royal Arms of England, representing kings and queens who have ruled as royal monarchs over the Kingdom of England dating back hundreds of years. Each one of them left a lasting impression on the heraldry of England that remains in the history of the Royal Arms carried today by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Among the coins in this collection, you’ll find two gold coins for sale in the Gold Queen’s Beast collection. With a total of 10 designs, you simply cannot miss out on this impressive series!
Mintage of the Gold Queen’s Beast Coins
When the Queen’s Beast Series of bullion and proof coins debuted in 2016, it was the prominent Lion of England leading the charge in the 10-coin collection. Scheduled to run through 2021, the Queen’s Beast Range originally featured a 2 oz silver coin alongside a ¼ oz and 1 oz gold coin for investors. To date in the collection, these two weights stand as the only options in the Gold Queen’s Beast Coin range. The other metallic options have been expanded or introduced as of 2017 to include a 1 oz platinum coin and a 10 oz silver coin.
Like many other bullion coin programs at the Royal Mint, there is no expressed mintage cap on the Queen’s Beast Series. The bullion coins are issued by the mint to either meet investor demand or until the mint can no longer match that demand, whichever event comes first. One thing is certain, though mintage figures are not released for the Queen’s Beast Series, the expansion of offerings with each new design release shows how popular the program is with investors.
Designs of the Gold Queen’s Beast Coins
All coins in the Queen’s Beast Series, from silver and gold to platinum, share the same obverse and reverse design elements. The Royal Mint plans to release 10 heraldic beasts in the series, but these are not randomly chosen from the rich history of Kings and Queens of England. Rather, each of the 10 heraldic beasts to feature in the collection come from the coronation ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II held at Westminster Abbey in 1953.
As a young Queen Elizabeth II entered the Abbey to take the crown of England, the door was guarded by 10 of the most significant beasts in British heraldic history. Each of these carved statues had been created by James Woodford RA, and the modern designs found on the Gold Queen’s Beast Coins and other options in the collection come from Royal Mint Engraver Jody Clark.
On the obverse of all coins in the Queen’s Beast Series is the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. This is no ordinary design though. This fifth-generation design of Queen Elizabeth II captures her at age 89 and was designed in 2015 by Jody Clark to mark the year in which Elizabeth II surpassed her great-grandmother Victoria I as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Jody Clark created this right-profile effigy, and in doing so became the youngest engraver in Royal Mint history to design the Queen’s portrait for British coinage.
The reverse of the Gold Queen’s Beast Coins vary from one release to the other, but each one reflects one of those 10 beasts guarding the start of Elizabeth II’s reign as she entered Westminster Abbey back in 1953. All 10 designs are listed below in the order of availability through 2018 along with the remaining designs to feature:
- 1 – 2016 British Gold Queen’s Beast Lion of England Coin: The Lion of England is the most important heraldic beast in the series. It was one of the earliest animals to appear in royal emblems. Geoffrey Plantagenet was given the Lion of England in 1127 by Henry I upon his marriage to the king’s daughter.
- 2 – 2017 British Gold Queen’s Beast Griffin of Edward III Coin: King Edward III introduced the Griffin into the lore of English heraldry not only because it was a symbol of power and wisdom, but also because he had long used it on his personal seal.
- 3 – 2017 British Gold Queen’s Beast Red Dragon of Wales Coin: The Red Dragon of Wales is rumored to date back to the 6th century and has a deep connection to Elizabeth II, who authorized its placement on the national flag of Wales in 1959.
- 4 – 2018 British Gold Queen’s Beast Unicorn of Scotland Coin: The Unicorn of Scotland is used in the nation’s heraldry courtesy of King James I of England, the man who united the crowns of Scotland and England.
- 5 – 2018 British Gold Queen’s Beast Black Bull of Clarence Coin: The first Yorkist King of England, King Edward IV, used the Black Bull in the Royal Arms as a nod to his great-grandfather. Roger Mortimer, his great-grandfather, was the source of the York King’s claim to the throne.
- 6 – The Falcon of the Plantagenets: The Plantagenet king Edward III chose the falcon as a symbol in heraldry because of his great love for falconry and hawking. Later, his great-great-grandson Edward IV would use the falcon on his own shield.
- 7 – The White Lion of Mortimer: The White Lion came to the Royal Arms through Edward IV who inherited it from his grandmother who was heiress to the Mortimer family legacy.
- 8 – The Yale of Beaufort: The mythical Yale is often depicted as either an antelope or goat-like creature. Changes in the depiction are rooted in a desire to portray either grace and elegance or strength and determination. The Yale came from Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.
- 9 – The White Greyhound of Richmond: The greyhound is most closely associated with King Henry VII, the first Tudor King of England. However, the greyhound has been used for hundreds of years preceding and following the reign of Henry VII.
- 10 – The White Horse of Hanover: The White Horse of Hanover is the lone heraldic beast to come from outside the British mainland, brought to the Royal Arms through the ascension of George of Hanover who ruled as King George I following the death of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts.
Currently Available Gold Queen’s Beast Coins
The Gold Queen’s Beast Coins available from JM Bullion include bullion, proof, and certified coins. The bullion coins are available inside their original protective plastic from the Royal Mint, while the certified coins have the protective plastic slab of either the NGC or the PCGS.
Call Us with Questions
Have a question about the Gold Queen’s Beast coins? Our JM Bullion customer service team is waiting to help you out at 800-276-6508, online through our live chat, or via our email address.
