Guide
Queen's Beasts Coin Series: Every Beast, Every Format, Every Price
Launched in 2016 and concluded with the 2021 Completer Coin, the Queen's Beasts series is one of the most-collected modern Royal Mint bullion and commemorative programmes. Ten heraldic beasts, the same statues that lined Westminster Abbey for the 1953 Coronation, rendered across silver bullion, gold bullion, silver proof, gold proof and Piedfort formats. This guide covers every beast, every format, current realised prices, and which pieces have outperformed.
Reviewed by Connor Jones, Editor
Last updated:
In brief. 10 beasts, 2016–2021. Bullion silver 1 oz: spot + 15-25%.
Bullion gold 1 oz: spot + 5-10%. 5 oz silver proofs: £500-900.
5 oz gold proofs (mintage 86-125): £15,000-22,000+. The 2021 Completer Coin
(showing all 10 beasts together) is the most-collected piece. CGT-exempt as UK legal tender.
The 10 beasts
| Year | Beast | Lineage | 1 oz silver realised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lion of England | English crown | £30 – £55 |
| 2017 | Griffin of Edward III | Plantagenet royal house | £30 – £48 |
| 2017 | Red Dragon of Wales | Tudors / Henry VII | £32 – £52 |
| 2017 | Unicorn of Scotland | Scottish crown (1603) | £30 – £55 |
| 2018 | Black Bull of Clarence | House of York | £32 – £52 |
| 2019 | Falcon of the Plantagenets | Edward III badge | £28 – £48 |
| 2019 | Yale of Beaufort | Lady Margaret Beaufort | £30 – £50 |
| 2020 | White Lion of Mortimer | Mortimer line | £30 – £48 |
| 2020 | White Horse of Hanover | Hanoverian succession | £30 – £48 |
| 2021 | White Greyhound of Richmond | Henry VII's mother's family | £30 – £48 |
| 2021 | Completer Coin (all 10 beasts) | Series finale | £55 – £95 silver; £3,200-4,200 gold |
Formats and metals
Each beast was struck in multiple weights and metals:
- 1 oz .9999 silver bullion, face value £2, mintage 100,000+ per beast. Bullion grade. The most-collected format.
- 2 oz .9999 silver bullion, face value £5, mintage 50,000+ per beast. Larger, thicker, slightly higher premium.
- 10 oz silver bullion (selected beasts), high weight, scarce.
- 1/4 oz .9999 gold, face value £25, mintage 1,500-3,500 per beast. Strongly collected.
- 1 oz .9999 gold, face value £100, mintage 1,500-2,500 per beast.
- 5 oz silver proof, face value £10, mintage 1,000-3,000 per beast.
- 5 oz gold proof, face value £500, mintage 86-125 per beast. The flagship rarities.
- 1 kg gold proof, ultra-low mintage (5-10 per beast). Auction-only pieces.
- 2 oz silver Piedfort, double-thick proof variants.
The 2021 Completer Coin
The Completer Coin is the most heavily-collected single piece in the series. It depicts all ten beasts arranged around a central royal cypher, designed by Jody Clark (the engraver of the fifth Elizabeth II portrait). The 1 oz silver Completer trades at £55-95; the 1 oz gold version (mintage 4,510) at £3,200-4,200. The 5 oz gold proof Completer (mintage 86) realised £38,000+ at Spink in 2024. The 1 kg gold Completer (mintage 5) is functionally unobtainable.
Investment performance
Bullion 1 oz gold Queen's Beasts have outperformed bullion Britannias by roughly 8-15% on resale, thanks to the collector cachet. 5 oz gold proofs have been the strongest performers across the entire UK Royal Mint catalogue: 5 oz gold proofs released at £7,250 in 2018 now trade at £15,000-22,000+, a 110-200% gain in seven years versus gold spot up roughly 80% over the same period. Silver proofs have softened relative to issue price as the secondary market has flooded with sealed Royal Mint capsules; for silver, the Piedfort variants have held value best.
Featured Queen's Beasts coins on MyCoinage
5 Sovereigns - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II Memorial
up to £3,925
1 Sovereign - Elizabeth II 5th portrait; Queen Victoria Bicentenary
up to £775
1000 Pounds - Elizabeth II Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Gold Proof
1000 Pounds - Elizabeth II Queen's 90th Birthday; Gold Proof
1000 Pounds - Charles III Life and legacy of the Queen; Gold Proof
500 Pounds - Elizabeth II Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Silver Proof
500 Pounds - Charles III Life and legacy of the Queen; Gold Piedfort
200 Pounds - Elizabeth II The band Queen; Gold Proof
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Beasts coin series?
The Queen's Beasts series is a 10-coin Royal Mint commemorative bullion programme launched in 2016 and concluded with the 2021 "Completer Coin". Each coin features one of the ten heraldic statues sculpted by James Woodford OBE for Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 Coronation, the original plasters now held by the Canadian Museum of History; stone copies stand at Kew Gardens. The coin reverses were reinterpreted by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark, the same artist who designed the fifth definitive Elizabeth II portrait used on the obverse. The series follows the precedent of the medieval King's Beasts at Hampton Court (Tudor period). The Royal Mint released the series in 1 oz silver, 2 oz silver, 10 oz silver Piedfort, 5 oz silver proof, 1/4 oz gold, 1 oz gold, 5 oz gold proof, 1 kg gold and a 10 kg gold "masterwork", the latter, struck for the 2021 Completer Coin, was at the time the largest gold coin the Royal Mint had ever produced.
How many coins are in the Queen's Beasts series?
Ten coins, one per beast: Lion of England (2016), Griffin of Edward III (2017), Red Dragon of Wales (2017), Unicorn of Scotland (2017), Black Bull of Clarence (2018), Falcon of the Plantagenets (2019), Yale of Beaufort (2019), White Lion of Mortimer (2020), White Horse of Hanover (2020), and White Greyhound of Richmond (2021). The series concluded with a special "Completer Coin" in 2021 featuring all ten beasts together, the most-collected piece of the entire programme.
Are Queen's Beasts coins a good investment?
Mixed. The bullion versions (1 oz and 2 oz silver, 1 oz gold) trade close to spot bullion price plus a small numismatic premium of 10-25% for the design. Gold Queen's Beasts have outperformed bullion Britannias in resale because of the collector cachet. The Completer Coin and 5 oz gold proofs have appreciated strongly: 5 oz gold proofs released at £7,250 in 2018 now trade at £15,000-22,000+ at auction. Silver proofs and Piedforts have softened relative to issue price as the secondary market has flooded with collector pieces.
What is the Completer Coin?
The 2021 Queen's Beasts Completer Coin is the final piece of the series, designed to "complete" a collection started with any earlier beast. The reverse shows all ten beasts arranged in a circle around a central royal cypher, designed by Jody Clark (also the engraver of the fifth and final Elizabeth II portrait). Released in 1 oz silver, 1/4 oz gold, 1 oz gold, 5 oz silver and 5 oz gold formats. The 1 oz gold Completer (mintage 4,510) trades at £3,200-4,200. The 5 oz gold proof (mintage 86) trades at £30,000+ when offered.
Which Queen's Beasts coin is the rarest?
In bullion: the 2018 Black Bull of Clarence 1 oz gold had the lowest production run of the bullion gold series and is the toughest pure bullion coin to source. In proofs: the 5 oz gold proof variants (mintages 86–125 each) are among the rarest modern UK coins ever issued. The 1 kg gold proof Completer (mintage 5) is functionally unobtainable; only one has appeared at public auction and realised £82,000+ in 2023. Among silver proofs, the 5 oz Piedfort variants (mintage typically 350–500) are the strongest performers.
What metals are Queen's Beasts struck in?
Each beast was issued in multiple metals and weights: 1 oz .9999 gold (face value £100), 1/4 oz gold (£25), 2 oz .9999 silver (£5), 1 oz .9999 silver (£2), 5 oz silver proof (£10), 5 oz gold proof (£500), and selected Piedfort variants. The bullion silver and gold versions are non-proof finish, struck for investment buyers. The proof versions have mirror-finish fields and frosted-cameo design with much lower mintages (typically 1,000–5,000 for silver proof, 86–500 for gold proof).
What does each beast represent?
Each beast traces a piece of Queen Elizabeth II's ancestral lineage. Lion of England represents the English crown. Unicorn of Scotland the Scottish crown (since the 1603 Union of the Crowns). Red Dragon of Wales the Tudors via Henry VII. Griffin of Edward III the Plantagenet royal house. Black Bull of Clarence the House of York. Falcon of the Plantagenets Edward III's personal badge. Yale of Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. White Lion of Mortimer the Mortimer line. White Horse of Hanover the Hanoverian succession. White Greyhound of Richmond Henry VII's mother's family.
Are Queen's Beasts coins CGT-exempt?
Yes, all Queen's Beasts coins are UK legal tender (face values £2 to £500), making them capital-gains-tax exempt for UK residents. This is a significant tax advantage over physical gold or silver bars, which are not CGT-exempt. UK investors can sell Queen's Beasts at any size and avoid CGT on the gain. Combined with the silver-proof VAT exemption (silver coins legal tender in any country are VAT-exempt at point of import to the UK), they are tax-efficient gold and silver investments. See our CGT-exempt UK coins guide for the full list.
How do I authenticate a Queen's Beasts coin?
Three checks. (1) Weight: 1 oz gold = 31.21 g, 2 oz silver = 62.42 g, 1 oz silver = 31.21 g, 1/4 oz gold = 7.80 g. Use a digital scale to 0.01 g precision. (2) Diameter: 1 oz coins are 38.61 mm; 2 oz silver is 38.61 mm and thicker; 1/4 oz gold is 22.0 mm. (3) Magnetic test: .9999 gold and .9999 silver are non-magnetic. Any pull on a magnet means the coin is plated steel. For high-value Piedforts and proofs (£500+), professional grading by NGC or PCGS is essential. Counterfeits exist in 1 oz silver bullion form, the Falcon of the Plantagenets has been the most-faked.
How do I sell a Queen's Beasts coin?
For 1 oz silver bullion: sell to a UK bullion dealer such as Atkinsons Bullion, Baird & Co or BullionByPost, expect 92-97% of spot for 1 oz silver, 96-99% of spot for 1 oz gold. For high-grade slabbed proofs and the 5 oz gold proof variants, consign to a UK numismatic auction house (Spink, Baldwin's) for the strongest realisation. eBay UK works for sealed Royal Mint capsules at premium prices but charges 12-13% selling fees.
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