The Queen’s Beasts Coin Series
Inspired by centuries of history and royal heraldry discover more on
the origins of the fantastical creatures who represent and guard
Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen’s Beasts Series
The Queen’s Beasts coin series
When Her Majesty The Queen was crowned in 1953, the entrance to Westminster Abbey was guarded by ten fantastical creatures – The Queen’s Beasts. This awe-inspiring line up of heraldic beasts symbolised the centuries of heritage inherited by the young woman who had become queen.
The Queen’s Beasts Collection is a series of ten coins from The Royal Mint, inspired by the ancestral beasts of heraldry, myth and legend that have watched over Her Majesty The Queen throughout her extraordinary reign, from her coronation to her Sapphire Jubilee.
The fearsome Lion of England leads the pack, being the first coin in the collection to be released.
Bringing Ancestry to Life
Meet Royal Mint coin designer Jody Clark, who created both the reverse designs for this new collection and the fifth portrait of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen’s Beasts – lion, griffin, falcon, bull, yale, greyhound, dragon, unicorn and horse – have gone on to inspire a new artist. Royal Mint coin designer Jody Clark, creator of the most recent definitive coinage portrait of The Queen’s reign, gave The Queen’s Beasts Collection a fierce and fantastical start with the Lion of England. This first coin in the collection was released in 2016, the year The Queen became the world’s longest reigning living monarch. His designs are inspired by both heraldry and the true nature of the beast in the wild or in legend.
"I researched the origins of heraldry and coats of arms and wanted to replicate the sense of strength and courage they were designed to convey. I created a sense of movement to make the beasts bold and dynamic but the shields they guard still feature strongly as they are integral to the story."
"I took inspiration from the original Queen’s Beasts, both the versions in Canada and the stone replicas here in the United Kingdom. They are very stylised and look imposing as statues but the challenge was to capture this on the surface of a coin. When it came to areas like the eyes, I kept them blank. Adding too much detail softened the look and I think this way there is still a sense of sculpture reflecting the originals."
Jody Clark
Bringing Ancestry to Life
Meet Royal Mint coin designer Jody Clark, who created both the reverse designs for this new collection and the fifth portrait of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen’s Beasts – lion, griffin, falcon, bull, yale, greyhound, dragon, unicorn and horse – have gone on to inspire a new artist. Royal Mint coin designer Jody Clark, creator of the most recent definitive coinage portrait of The Queen’s reign, gave The Queen’s Beasts Collection a fierce and fantastical start with the Lion of England. This first coin in the collection was released in 2016, the year The Queen became the world’s longest reigning living monarch. His designs are inspired by both heraldry and the true nature of the beast in the wild or in legend.
"I researched the origins of heraldry and coats of arms and wanted to replicate the sense of strength and courage they were designed to convey. I created a sense of movement to make the beasts bold and dynamic but the shields they guard still feature strongly as they are integral to the story."
"I took inspiration from the original Queen’s Beasts, both the versions in Canada and the stone replicas here in the United Kingdom. They are very stylised and look imposing as statues but the challenge was to capture this on the surface of a coin. When it came to areas like the eyes, I kept them blank. Adding too much detail softened the look and I think this way there is still a sense of sculpture reflecting the originals."
Jody Clark