The Queen's Beasts (coin) facts for kids
- Further information: The Queen's Beasts
| United Kingdom | |
| Value | 5 pounds sterling |
|---|---|
| Mass | 62.42 g |
| Diameter | 38.61 mm |
| Thickness | 6.00 mm |
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition | .9999 silver |
| Years of minting | 2016 |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Jody Clark |
| Design date | 2015 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | The Lion of England |
| Designer | Jody Clark |
| Design date | 2016 |
The Queen's Beasts coins are special British coins. The Royal Mint has made them since 2016. They come in platinum, gold, and silver.
There are 10 different beast coins in the series. Each coin shows a cool design of one of the Queen's Beasts statues. These statues were at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. They represent her royal family history.
The silver coin was the first two-ounce silver coin made in the United Kingdom. A talented artist named Jody Clark designed all the coins. In 2017, the Royal Mint started making platinum versions too.
In April 2021, an eleventh coin was released. It's called the "Completer Coin." This coin features all 10 Queen's Beasts together. One special Completer Coin was made from 10kg of gold. It was worth £10,000! This huge gold coin took 400 hours to make. It was the heaviest gold coin the Royal Mint had ever produced.
When you ordered single coins, they came in a plastic coin capsule. Larger orders came in tubes, like other Britannia coins. Special "proof" coins came in a display box with a booklet. This booklet explained the meaning of each beast.
In 2016, the coins became widely available to buy and trade.
Contents
- What's on the Front of the Coin?
- What's on the Back of the Coin?
- Special Proof Coins
- The Queen's Beasts in Order
- Coin Details
- How Many Coins Were Made?
- See also
What's on the Front of the Coin?
The front of every Queen's Beasts coin is the same. It shows a picture of Queen Elizabeth II. This is the fifth official portrait of the Queen used on coins.
Around her picture, you'll see the words "ELIZABETH II • D • G • REG • F • D • (and the coin's value) POUNDS". The letters "D G REG F D" are short for a Latin phrase. It means "By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith." This phrase is often found on British coins.
You can also see the initials of the artist, Jody Clark, just below the Queen's picture.
What's on the Back of the Coin?
The back of the coin shows a cool design of one of the beasts. It also has text like "[BEAST'S NAME] • (size)oz • FINE (GOLD/SILVER/PLATINUM) • (purity) • (year)".
Jody Clark's initials are also on the back. They are usually near the shield the beast is holding.
Special Proof Coins
There are also "proof" coins. These are made with extra care to look very shiny and perfect. The design of the beast on proof coins is a little different from the regular coins. The text around the beast is also slightly different. On these, Jody Clark's initials are inside the shield.
The Queen's Beasts in Order
Here are the amazing beasts featured in the coin series:
I. Lion of England
The Lion of England was the first coin released in March 2016. It was very popular!
II. The Griffin of Edward III
The Griffin of Edward III was the second coin. It came out in 2017.
III. Red Dragon of Wales
The Red Dragon of Wales was the third coin. It was also released in 2017.
IV. Black Bull of Clarence
The Black Bull of Clarence was the fourth coin, released in 2018.
Coin Background Change
Starting with the Black Bull coin, the background on the front of the regular coins changed. It went from a bumpy texture to a pattern of tiny diamonds.
V. Unicorn of Scotland
The Unicorn of Scotland was the fifth coin. It came out in 2018.
VI. Yale of Beaufort
The Yale of Beaufort was the sixth coin, released in 2019.
VII. Falcon of the Plantagenets
The Falcon of the Plantagenets was the seventh coin. It came out in 2019.
VIII. White Lion of Mortimer
The White Lion of Mortimer was the eighth coin, released in 2020.
IX. White Horse of Hanover
The White Horse of Hanover was the ninth coin. It came out in 2020.
X. White Greyhound of Richmond
The White Greyhound of Richmond was the tenth coin in the series. It was released in 2021.
XI. The Completer Coin
The "Completer Coin" is a special coin that finishes the series. It shows all ten of the Queen’s Beasts on one coin! It was released in April 2021.
This coin also introduced very large gold versions. These included 2kg and 10kg gold coins.
Coin Details
Here's a quick look at some details for different Queen's Beasts coins:
| Type | Purity | Metal | Size | Value | Weight | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular (Bullion) | .9999 | Gold | 1 oz | £100 | 31.21 g | 32.69 mm |
| Regular (Bullion) | .9999 | Silver | 2 oz | £5 | 62.42 g | 38.61 mm |
| Regular (Bullion) | .9995 | Platinum | 1 oz | £100 | 31.21 g | 32.69 mm |
| Proof | .999 | Gold | 10 kg | £10,000 | 10,005.00 g | 200.00 mm |
| Proof | .999 | Silver | 1 oz | £2 | 31.21 g | 38.61 mm |
| Shiny (Brilliant Uncirculated) | Copper-nickel mix | 1 oz | £5 | 28.28 g | 38.61 mm | |
How Many Coins Were Made?
This table shows how many of each coin were made each year. "Unl." means unlimited, so lots were made! "Ltd." means limited, so only a certain number were produced.
| Order | Release Order |
Front Design | Back Design | Regular (Bullion) Coins | Proof Coins | Shiny (Brilliant Uncirculated) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .9999 | .9995 | Gold | Silver | Copper-nickel mix | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gold | Silver | Platinum | 10 kg | 2 kg | 1 kg | 5 oz | 1 oz | ¼ oz | 1 kg | 10 oz | 5 oz | 1 oz | ¼ oz (RP) | |||||||||
| £100 | £25 | £10 | £5 | £100 | £10,000 | £2,000 | £1,000 | £500 | £100 | £25 | £500 | £10 | £10 | £2 | 50p | £5 | ||||||
| I | 1 | Queen Elizabeth II | Lion of England | 2016 Unl. |
2016 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2016 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2017 25 |
2017 125 |
2017 1000 |
2017 2500 |
2017 600 |
2017 1250 |
2017 2500 |
2017 8500 |
2021 1250 |
2017 Unl. |
2018 Ltd. |
2019 Ltd. |
||
| II | 4 | Queen Elizabeth II | Unicorn of Scotland | 2018 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2017 13 |
2017 85 |
2017 475 |
2017 1500 |
2017 225 |
2017 850 |
2017 750 |
2017 6250 |
2021 1250 |
2017 Unl. |
||||
| III | 3 | Queen Elizabeth II | Red Dragon of Wales | 2017 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2018 13 |
2018 90 |
2018 500 |
2018 1500 |
2018 200 |
2018 700 |
2018 500 |
2018 6000 |
2021 1250 |
2018 Unl. |
||||
| IV | 5 | Queen Elizabeth II | Black Bull of Clarence | 2018 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2018 10 |
2018 75 |
2018 400 |
2018 1500 |
2018 150 |
2018 600 |
2018 700 |
2018 4360 |
2021 1250 |
2018 Unl. |
||||
| V | 6 | Queen Elizabeth II | Falcon of the Plantagenets | 2019 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2019 13 |
2019 85 |
2019 445 |
2019 1250 |
2019 125 |
2019 400 |
2019 550 |
2019 5650 |
2021 1250 |
2019 Unl. |
||||
| VI | 7 | Queen Elizabeth II | Yale of Beaufort | 2019 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2019 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2019 13 |
2019 70 |
2019 445 |
2019 1000 |
2019 120 |
2019 240 |
2019 335 |
2019 4360 |
2021 1250 |
2019 Unl. |
||||
| VII | 8 | Queen Elizabeth II | White Lion of Mortimer | 2020 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
2020 13 |
2020 70 |
2020 445 |
2020 1000 |
2020 120 |
2020 240 |
2020 335 |
2020 4360 |
2021 1250 |
2020 Unl. |
||||
| VIII | 9 | Queen Elizabeth II | White Horse of Hanover | 2020 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
2020 Unl. |
2020 69 |
2020 435 |
2020 1000 |
2020 115 |
2020 235 |
2020 315 |
2020 4310 |
2021 1250 |
2020 Unl. |
||||
| IX | 10 | Queen Elizabeth II | White Greyhound of Richmond | 2021 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
N/R | 2021 Unl. |
N/R | 2021 10 |
2021 69 |
2021 425 |
2021 1010 |
2021 80 |
2021 195 |
2021 370 |
2021 3960 |
2021 1250 |
2021 Unl. |
||||
| X | 2 | Queen Elizabeth II | Griffin of Edward III | 2017 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2017 Unl. |
2018 Unl. |
2021 10 |
2021 115 |
2021 500 |
2021 1240 |
2021 70 |
2021 140 |
2021 290 |
2021 4400 |
2021 1250 |
2021 Unl. |
||||
| XI | 11 | Queen Elizabeth II | The Completer Coin featuring
all 10 of the Queen's Beasts |
2021 Unl. |
2021 Unl. |
2021
1 |
2021
4 |
2021
16 |
2021
135 |
2021
625 |
2021
75 |
2021
125 |
2021
300 |
2021
7100 |
2021 Unl. |
|||||||
See also
- Bullion
- Bullion coin
- Coins of the pound sterling
- Gold as an investment
- Inflation hedge
- List of British banknotes and coins
- Platinum as an investment
- Royal Mint
- Silver as an investment
- The Queen's Beasts
