A tour of the Royal Mint's heraldic series, why the Beasts captured collector imagination, and what to watch for in the secondary market.
The Royal Mint's Queen's Beasts series, struck between 2016 and 2021, has become one of the most collected modern bullion programmes ever issued. Ten heraldic creatures, drawn from the statues that lined Westminster Abbey at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, were rendered onto coins of two ounces of silver and one ounce of gold each.
The series rewarded patience. Early buyers of the Lion of England paid little more than spot, but completer sets — particularly with matched mint years across the full ten — now trade at significant premiums. The Falcon of the Plantagenets has emerged as the rarest of the cast.
“The series rewarded patience.”
From a portfolio perspective, the Beasts demonstrate something every bullion buyer should remember: limited mintage combined with a coherent design narrative tends to attract a secondary market premium that mere weight in gold cannot. Sovereigns and Britannias remain the trading standard, but a small allocation to series coinage can deliver outsized returns over a decade.
We continue to source individual Beasts and full sets for clients. Authentication is essential — there is a growing supply of fakes from non-Royal Mint sources.
