1oz silver proof Tudor Beasts Lion of England coin: the second addition to the new Royal Mint series.
Royal Tudor Beasts
Following the success of the Queen's Beasts series, the Royal Mint launched a new collection of creatures in late 2021, celebrating England's most famous royal dynasty.
Created in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, the Royal Tudor Beasts is inspired by a series of heraldic statues at Hampton Court Palace. The beastly statues represent the lineage of Henry VIII and his third queen, Jane Seymour and offer an insight into the fascinating world of the Tudor court and the royals and nobles who lived through these turbulent times.
The Hampton Court statues include heraldic supporters that previously featured on the Queen's Beasts coins but there are significant differences. Notably, a different artist has been called up depict the real and mythological beasts, giving these coins a distinct style.
You can read more about the Tudor Beasts and their relationship to the Queen’s Beasts in a recent blog post.
The Lion of England
The second coin in the Tudor Beasts collection stars the Lion of England. Lions have been associated with English royalty since the twelfth century. Her Majesty the Queen's coat of arms features the historic image of three lions passant as well as a lion as a supporter.
The Tudor lion is crowned and clutches a shield showing the combined arms of king Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, the mother of his son, Edward VI.
It's a stylised image but still more realistic than the Hampton Court statues. David Lawrence, the artist behind all ten Tudor Beasts coins, said about his design concept:
'I had to walk the fine line of combining these naturalistic elements … with a stylised, heraldic depiction of the beast to fit the overarching concept'.
Special Edge Inscription
This 1oz silver proof coin is the only Lion of England coin to feature an edge inscription. It reads: 'HAMPTON COURT PALACE ∙ ROYAL TUDOR BEASTS'.
It's part of an extensive range of Tudor Beasts coins, available in different sizes, metals and finishes, the reverse design scaled to the diameter of the coin. All feature Jody Clark's portrait of Her Majesty the Queen to the obverse.
This edition measures 38.61 millimetres in diameter and is struck in 31.21 grams of 999 fine silver. Struck to finest proof standard, it has a face value of One Hundred Pounds and is offered in its original packaging with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
6,000 of these gold Lion of England coins have been offered by The Royal Mint.
Steeped in more than 1,100 years of history, The Royal Mint supplies all of the United Kingdom's coinage as well as currency for nations around the world. Renown for craftsmanship and thoughtful design, The Royal Mint also produces commemorative coins, favoured by investors and collectors.
A Millennia of Minting
Founded in the reign of Alfred the Great, around the year 886, The Royal Mint was originally one of several mints which were centralised to London in 1279. For more than 800 years the Mint was based at the Tower of London before moving to Royal Mint Court where it remained until the 1960s.
The Royal Mint has always been on the forefront of economic, technical and artistic innovation. Its skilled craftsmen minted coins that would reach the far corners of the British Empire, establishing the image and reputation of Britain for all whose pockets they ended up in.
In 2010 The Royal Mint became a limited company owned by Her Majesty’s Treasury. In recent years the Mint has struck medals for the 2012 London Olympic Games and opened a visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, in Llantrisant, Wales: the current home of The Royal Mint.
Collecting and Investing
The Royal Mint's commemorative and bullion coins – often minted to mark important national events and anniversaries – are not intended for circulation. They might look like ordinary coins but they are generally worth much more, thanks to their scarcity, finish and composition.
Most commemorative coins produced by The Royal Mint are available in a range of striking standards including Gold Proof, Silver Proof, Brilliant Uncirculated and Bullion. Some are also available in collectors sets. Gold and Silver Proof coins are minted in small numbers, making them rare and desirable.
The Royal Mint's commemorative coins are both VAT-free and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exempt, making them an attractive and valuable investment. Whether you are diversifying your investments or simply appreciate world-class design, commemorative coins from The Royal Mint are a great buy.
The Royal Mint at The Britannia Coin Company
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Buy and sell coins with confidence when you use The Britannia Coin Company of Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.
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