The Royal Mint’s ‘Tudor Beasts’ continues with ‘Lion of England’ in a range of proof and bullion coins

The Tudor Beasts, the flagship follow-on series to the Royal Mint’s much-loved ‘Queen’s Beasts’ series, debuted last October with the launch of the ‘Seymour Panther’ in proof form. The first of a new ten-coin series to be issued over a five-year period, there were no bullion versions to sit alongside the thirteen various proof coins, but the introduction of the second proof coin, ‘Lion of England’, has finally brought with it, bullion.

If Lion of England seems familiar, it’s likely because it was a core coin in Jody Clark’s Queen’s Beasts series as well, and while this new design by David Lawrence is of a similar basic layout, it has a different feel to it, more defensive in posture than the brasher Clark effort. It was always going to be a tough act to follow, but Lawrence has managed it in style. We love both versions here. The obverse is typical Royal Mint fare, just the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the issue inscriptions.

The proof range remains fundamentally unchanged, with just gold prices rising, and silver mintages falling. There are seven gold and six silver coins in the range, topping out with a hefty 2 kg piece. The selection starts at under £100, so more affordable than some of the mints recent big launches. If money is no object, they have you covered there as well, with the biggest gold coin at over £150k!

As we said earlier, bullion variants have finally arrived, so much like the Queen’s Beasts, there will be a slight desync between the two ranges. The bullion coin also takes many styling cues from QB. The border is busier, with each coin’s composition also inscribed within its area, and the mirror finish background field of the central area is eschewed in favour of a finely varied ‘dotted’ texture. The difficulty in reproducing it is an aid to fighting counterfeiting, more prevalent in the bullion market. The mint has chosen the same three base formats of 2 oz silver, and 1/4 oz and 1 oz gold. We suspect that platinum will join soon, and maybe a 10 oz silver, but we’ve yet to have that confirmed.

All together, a super release for those that like contemporary takes on classic coin design. It’s good to see that David Lawrence has a firm handle on Tudor Beast’s, and we’re confident this will be every bit the equal of Jody Clark’s classic Queen’s Beasts. High praise indeed. Available later today.

PRESS RELEASE

The next coin in The Royal Mint’s Royal Tudor Beasts Collection features the Lion of England. As one of the oldest and most iconic royal beasts in heraldry, Henry VIII chose the fierce lion to represent pride, courage and strength. Released over five years, The Royal Tudor Beasts collection allows customers to build their very own collection celebrating the ten Royal Beasts chosen by King Henry VIII to line the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace.

Andrew Dickey, Divisional Director of Precious Metals at The Royal Mint said: “The introduction of the Royal Tudor Beasts onto bullion coins is an exciting moment for us at The Royal Mint. Featuring impressive designs, each bullion coin provides investors across the world with an opportunity to invest in gold, silver or platinum, while also being able to admire the skill, design and craftsmanship of each coin. Bullion coins are renowned for their value, tradability and liquidity, and we are delighted to also be able to offer an aesthetic value to someone investing in our precious metals.”

Emma Saunders, Senior Licensing Manager at Historic Royal Palaces commented: “We are thrilled to launch the next commemorative coin within the Royal Tudor Beasts Collection, as well as introduce bullion coins to the series. The Lion of England is recognised worldwide as one of the most majestic of all the Royal Beasts and in this Jubilee year, it is the perfect way to commemorate this historic moment”.

Designed by artist David Lawrence, each coin design, including the Lion of England, is a unique balance of the naturalistic elements of the creatures with a stylised, heraldic depiction incorporated into the design.

Historically known as the ‘king of the beasts’, the Lion of England is one of the oldest and most iconic beasts in heraldic art and is a traditional symbol of bravery, strength and valour. Used on the shield of England for as long as one has existed, the lion first appeared in heraldry in the twelfth century. Chosen to represent pride and courage, the Lion of England on the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace held a shield bearing the impaled – or combined – arms of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, symbolising the strength of the couple’s union.

PROOF SPECIFICATION

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER LEP MINTAGE PRICE
£2 UKP 0.999 SILVER 31.21 g 38.61 mm 6,000 £95.00
£5 UKP 0.999 SILVER 62.42 g 38.61 mm 2,000 £185.00
£10 UKP 0.999 SILVER 156.295 g 65.00 mm 300 £465.00
£10 UKP 0.999 SILVER 312.59 g 65.00 mm 150 £885.00
£500 UKP 0.999 SILVER 1’005.00 g 100.00 mm 70 £2,330.00
£1,000 UKP 0.999 SILVER 2,010.00 g 100.00 mm 55 £4,995.00
£25 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 7.80 g 22.0 mm 1,000 £670.00
£100 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 31.21 g 32.69 mm 400 £2,505.00
£200 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 62.42 g 40.00 mm 175 £4,775.00
£500 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 156.295 g 50.00 mm 70 £11,430.00
£500 UKP 0.999 GOLD 312.521 g 65.00 mm 10 £22,855.00
£1,000 UKP 0.999 GOLD 1005.00 g 100.00 mm 3 £69,445.00
£2,000 UKP 0.999 GOLD 2010.00 g 150.00 mm 2 £151,135.00

BULLION SPECIFICATION

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER
£5 UKP 0.999 SILVER 62.42 g 38.61 mm
£25 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 7.80 g 22.00 mm
£100 UKP 0.9999 GOLD 32.69 g 31.21 mm