Gold Tudor Beasts

Tudor Beasts Gold Coins from the Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of England has an all-new collection of silver and gold coins for sale celebrating the history of the monarchy. Unlike the previous Queen’s Beasts Series from 2016-2021, the new Tudor Beasts Series focuses on the infamous Tudor dynasty that ruled the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. Producing some of the most well-known monarchs in British history, this series offers a beautiful look at the Tudors.

Proof and BU Tudor Beasts Gold Packaging

Like the Queen’s Beast Series before it, the Tudor Beasts Series has familiar packaging options for each BU and Proof design issue in the series. The BU Gold Tudor Beasts come with 1 oz gold and 1/4 oz gold options. The 1 oz gold coin ships individually in plastic flips, with multiples in acrylic tubes of 10 gold coins and Monster Boxes of 100 gold coins. The 1/4 oz gold coin is similarly offered individually in flips, with plastic tubes of 25 coins and Monster Boxes of 500 coins.

Proof Gold Tudor Beasts come with individual packaging. The coins are encapsulated and packaged in wooden presentation boxes. The box ships in a themed outer shipper and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

1^st Design – Seymour Panther

The designs in the Tudor Beasts Series are inspired by the stone statues that line Moat Bridge, the entrance to Hampden Court where the Tudor monarchs held court. The first creature depicted in the series is the Seymour Panther. This heraldic beast was gifted to Jane Seymour as she married King Henry VIII. The third wife of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour famously gave birth to the only son of Henry VIII who would live to sit on the throne, albeit briefly. The Seymour Panther has a spotted frame with flames emanating from the mouth and ears. The panther supports a shield that has the Seymour Wings on its face.

2^nd Design – Lion of England

For the second design of the Tudor Beasts Series, the Royal Mint features the image of the mighty Lion of England. The crowned lion is shown in a seated position behind a shield that bears the impaled arms of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, his third wife. The shield features the Royal Arms of King Henry VIII on the left, with the personal coat of arms of Jane Seymour on the right.

3^rd Design – Yale of Beaufort

Previously featured in the Queen’s Beasts Series, the Yale of Beaufort returns in a custom design for the Tudor Beasts Series. This third issue of the Proof Tudor Beasts Series, second in the BU Series, comes with an image of the Yale of Beaufort on its hind legs as it supports the Arms of Jane Seymour. The third wife of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour is said to have been Henry VIII’s most beloved wife and the Yale was chosen to support her arms as a means of legitimizing her authority as his new wife.+

4th Design – Bull of Clarence

Another beast to have previously featured in the Queen’s Beasts Series, the Black Bull of Clarence is captured in this Tudor-themed design with a shield that includes the Tudor Rose. The Tudor Rose combined the white rose and red rose together in a singular bloom, a symbol of Henry VII’s union of the House of Lancaster and House of York following the Wars of the Roses.

5th Design – Seymour Unicorn

The Unicorn of Scotland has been a part of the Royal Arms since the Union of Scotland and England with the reign of King James I, but it first appeared in heraldry in England more than half a century earlier. King Henry VIII bestowed the Seymour Unicorn upon his third wife, Jane Seymour, in part to legitimize her status as his Queen. The Unicorn has long been associated with purity, grace, and nobility, features Henry VIII wanted to cement in the image of his wife.

6th Design – Tudor Dragon

One of the most important symbols of the Tudor Dynasty, the Tudor Dragon was used to establish the legitimacy of Henry Tudor (King Henry VII) as the rightful heir to the throne following the Wars of the Roses. The Tudor Dragon is commonly depicted alongside the Beaufort Portcullis. The Beaufort Portcullis, the other key element of the Tudor Dragon emblem, was inherited by Henry VII through his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. A portcullis is a heavy, vertically-closing gate used in medieval fortifications. In heraldry, it symbolizes strength, protection, and authority. When combined with the Red Dragon, the Beaufort Portcullis is usually depicted beneath or behind the dragon, sometimes with chains attached. This combination creates a powerful visual representation of the Tudor dynasty’s claim to power, uniting their Welsh heritage with their royal English lineage.

Tudor Beasts Monarch Portraits

Introduced late in the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Tudor Beasts Series experienced an obverse design change early on following the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022. Coins in this collection will feature one of two monarch busts on the obverse:

• 2022-2023: From the debut issue through the Yale of Beaufort issue, Tudor Beasts coins featured Jody Clark’s right-profile bust of Elizabeth II with the George IV State Diadem crown.
• 2023-current: As of the Bull of Clarence issue in 2023, His Majesty King Charles III features on the obverse of the coins in a left-profile bust from Martin Jennings.

A Note on the Order of Tudor Beast Issues

The Royal Mint has released the initial designs in the Tudor Beasts Series in differing orders within the BU and Proof collections. The order, to date, in the Proof Series is:

• Seymour Panther
• Lion of England
• Yale of Beaufort
• Bull of Clarence
• Seymour Unicorn

Conversely, the first BU issue of the series is the Lion of England, followed by the Yale of Beaufort. The complete list of heraldic beasts to feature in the Tudor Beasts Series includes (in no particular order):

• Seymour Panther
• Lion of England
• Greyhound of Richmond
• Yale of Beaufort
• Tudor Dragon
• Seymour Unicorn
• Royal Dragon
• Queen’s Lion
• Black Bull of Clarence
• Queen’s Panther

Background on the Tudor Dynasty

King Henry VII was the first monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. He came to the throne by defeating King Richard III of the House of York in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth. The victory ended the Wars of the Roses between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, the latter of which Henry was a member of at the time. He formed the House of Tudor with his marriage to Elizabeth of York, a move that aimed to unify the former warring parties. Henry VII is not remembered by history as much as his son, King Henry VIII, and his granddaughter, Elizabeth I.

Buying Tudor Beasts Gold Coins from JM Bullion

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