At Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 Coronation, ten heraldic beasts carved from plaster stood guard outside Westminster Abbey, each representing part of the royal lineage, from the Lion of England to the Greyhound of Richmond. In 2016 the Royal Mint began immortalising them in precious metal. The Queen's Beasts became one of the most collected modern numismatic series.
The ten beasts
Each beast carries a shield representing part of the royal genealogy:
- Lion of England, the principal English royal beast (2016 / 2017)
- Griffin of Edward III, representing Plantagenet ancestry (2017)
- Red Dragon of Wales, Welsh heritage via Henry VII (2017)
- Unicorn of Scotland, Scottish royal arms (2018)
- Black Bull of Clarence, York/Clarence line (2018)
- Falcon of the Plantagenets, Edward III's family badge (2019)
- Yale of Beaufort, Lady Margaret Beaufort's beast (2019)
- White Lion of Mortimer, Edward IV's beast (2020)
- White Horse of Hanover, Hanoverian claim (2020)
- Greyhound of Richmond, Henry VII's beast (2021)
Formats and metals
Each beast design was issued across a full range of formats, circulating £5 crowns, silver proofs, gold proofs, and bullion rounds. The bullion Britannia-format 1oz silver and 1oz gold pieces are the most collected:
- 1oz .9999 silver bullion, around £30–£60 each depending on metal price and beast popularity. The Lion is the most common; the Griffin and Yale the scarcest.
- 1oz .9999 gold bullion, ~£1,900–£2,300 each, also CGT-exempt under UK law.
- Proof £5 crown cupronickel, retail £13 at issue, secondary £15–£25.
- Silver proof Piedfort (mintages 2,500–3,500), £110–£180 secondary market.
The "Completer" coins
In 2021 the Royal Mint released "Completer" coins featuring all ten beasts on a single reverse design, a visual cross-reference set. Available in 2oz, 5oz and 10oz silver and gold formats. The 10oz gold Completer had a mintage of just 20 pieces and trades at well over £20,000 in the secondary market.
Why the series matters
The Queen's Beasts introduced UK bullion collecting to a broader international audience. Prior to 2016, British bullion buyers mostly bought sovereigns or Britannias. The Queen's Beasts, with their direct link to royal heritage and visually distinctive designs by Jody Clark (the same artist behind Elizabeth II's fifth circulating portrait), attracted American, Asian and European buyers.
It also set the template for the Royal Tudor Beasts series, launched in 2022 with the Seymour Panther, and the Great Engravers series. Collecting the original 10 remains the flagship numismatic project for British collectors of a certain era.
Identifying a genuine piece
- Silver 1oz: 38.61mm diameter, exactly 31.21g (1oz ± 0.05g). .9999 fine purity.
- Gold 1oz: 32.6mm diameter, exactly 31.21g. .9999 fine.
- Edge: reeded.
- Authentication: Royal Mint-issued pieces come with certificate; PCGS/NGC grading available at a premium.
Browse the full series on MyCoinage.