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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2019 5oz G.britain Yale of Beaufort
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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VI/X The Yale of Beaufort 2019 5oz 1 of 1st 75 Stuck COA#2 Mintage 335
The Yale is a mythical beast with characteristics of an antelope or goat, depending on the imagination of the artist and their desire to portray grace and elegance, or strength and determination. Strangely, it is said to have horns that can turn independently so in medieval illustrations it is often shown with horns pointing in different directions. The white and gold-spotted Yale of Beaufort has such horns along with the whiskers or ‘tushes’ of a boar.
The Yale of Beaufort was a symbol of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. The Yale of The Queen’s Beasts holds a shield with the blue and white quarters of Margaret’s arms but with a golden portcullis at the centre, a badge used by Henry VII. The portcullis is also part of the arms of Westminster City Council, which is home to Westminster Abbey where the coronation took place in 1953.
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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2019 5oz G.britain Falcon of the Plantagenet One of First 150 Struck
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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V/X The Falcon of the Plantagenets 2019 5 oz One of First 150 Struck COA #2 Mintage 550
The Falcon passed to The Queen from the Plantagenet king Edward III. He chose the symbol to embody his love of hawking but it is also closely associated with his great-great-grandson, Edward IV. The white Falcon at The Queen’s coronation held a shield with a badge depicting a second white falcon within an open golden ‘fetterlock’ or padlock.
The fetterlock and the falcon were popular emblems in the Houses of both York and Lancaster, as they had descended from Edward III’s younger sons John of Gaunt and Edmund of Langley. The fetterlocks used by John and Edmund were always locked, perhaps to show they had no claim to the throne. Edward IV gave his younger son, Richard, the badge of a white falcon within an open fetterlock – the lock Edward forced to take the throne. Henry VII, who united the houses of York and Lancaster with his marriage to Elizabeth of York, often used a falcon symbol and it was said to be the favourite badge of Queen Elizabeth I.
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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2018 5oz G.britain Black Bull of Clarence One of First 200 Struck
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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IV/X The Black Bull of Clarence 2018 5oz One of First 200 STRUCK COA #002 Mintage 700
The Black Bull of Clarence is a ‘Yorkist’ beast which came to The Queen through Edward IV, the first king of England from the House of York and one of the key players in the ‘Wars of the Roses’. Assisted by the Earl of Warwick who was known as the ‘kingmaker’, Edward took power from Henry VI, overturning a troubled Lancastrian rule. Henry VI fled to Scotland, but later briefly returned to the throne before he was finally defeated in battle by Edward in 1461. His execution at the Tower left no doubt over the new king’s reign. Edward IV is said to have often used the bull as a symbol, as did his brother, Richard III, the last York king. Edward’s original claim to the throne was as the great-grandson of Roger Mortimer, descendent of the Duke of Clarence, who Richard II had named as his successor but who was usurped by his nephew, Henry IV.
At The Queen’s coronation the Black Bull of Clarence held a shield with the Royal Arms as they were borne for more than 200 years, not only by the Yorkist kings but by the Lancastrians that went before and the Tudors who came after. The shield has two quarters with the gold lions of England, adopted by Richard I, and two with the golden lilies of France, added by Edward III to support his claim to the French throne.
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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2018 5oz G.britain Red Dragon of Wales One of First 250 Struck
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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III/X The Red Dragon of Wales 2018 5oz One of First 250 STRUCK COA #002 Mintage 750
Dragons are one of the best known mythical beasts, found in legends all over the world. In Europe the dragon was seen as a frightening but strong, wise and powerful creature. In Wales it was mentioned in chronicles as early as the sixth century, sometimes known as the red dragon of Cadwallader, the legendary king of Gwynedd. The Red Dragon of The Queen’s Beasts was an emblem of Owen Tudor, a claim to Welsh heritage that was carried on by his son, who would become Henry VII. The troops of Henry VII carried a fiery red dragon standard at the Battle of Bosworth, when Henry secured the crown of England.
Henry VIII used a red dragon on green and white – the colours of the House of Tudor – on his ships. It was an official emblem of Wales for many years but it was not until 1959 that The Queen made the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag for Wales. The dragon of The Queen’s Beasts is red with a yellow underbelly and it holds a quartered red and gold shield with leopards, the arms of Llewelyn ap Griffith, the last native prince of Wales.
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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2017 5oz G.britain Unicorn of Scotland ONE OF FIRST 250 STRUCK
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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II/X The Unicorn of Scotland 2017 One of First 250 STRUCK COA #002 Mintage 750
Tales of the mythical unicorn date back to around 400 BC, perhaps confused or exaggerated descriptions of animals like the rhinoceros or wild bulls and horses. The creature was at first thought to be huge, strong and fierce, but it later became a more elegant beast, a symbol of purity and innocence. James I of England, who united the English and Scottish thrones, chose the Scottish Unicorn to join the Lion of England in supporting the Royal Arms. They have supported the shield ever since.
The Unicorn of Scotland, milk-white with gold hooves, horn and mane, has a coronet around its neck, like a collar, with a gold chain attached. It is thought that the chain was to show a great beast had been tamed to serve the king. As with most chained beasts in heraldry, its strength is emphasised rather than diminished by its shackles. It holds the royal coat of Scotland, unchanged since the time of Scottish king, Alexander III. A red lion rampant (the most fierce stance) is shown on a gold background.
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GREAT BRITAIN - DECIMAL
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S10PND 2017 5oz G.britain The Lion ONE OF FIRST 1000 STRUCK
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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I/X The Lion of England 2017 One of First 1000 STRUCK COA #002 Mintage 2,500
The lion is one of the earliest animals to appear in royal emblems; a traditional symbol of bravery, strength and valour. The first recorded use was the gift of a blue shield, decorated with small golden lions, given to Geoffrey Plantagenet by Henry I as he married Henry’s daughter Matilda, in 1127. As long as England has had a shield of its own, it has always featured the lion in some form – the Norman kings of England used motifs featuring the ferocious beast, a tradition made consistent under Henry II and his son Richard I the ‘Lionheart’ in the twelfth century.
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