The Royal Tudor Beasts - The Lion of England 1/4 Oz 2022

The Royal Tudor Beasts - The Lion of England - 1/4 Oz

The 1/4 Oz (7.78 g) gold investment coin, in purity of the purest 99.99% gold, issued by the British Royal Mint for 2022, is the first coin in the "The Royal Tudor Beasts" series, which is dedicated to the ten heraldic animals of King Henry VIII. The royal bundle is illustrated by the Seymour panther, the lion of England, the greyhound of Richmond, the yale of Beaufort, the Tudor dragon, the Seymour unicorn, the royal dragon, the Queen's lion, the bull of Clarence and the Queen's panther.

The reverse of the coin depicts the crowned lion of England with an armorial shield. Divided into tenths, the shield combines heraldic features from the arms of Henry VIII and the arms of Jane Seymour. The inscription "LION OF ENGLAND", weight, purity and year of issue complete the rim of the motif.
The Royal Tudor Beasts is a series of ten heraldic sculptures placed on the bridge leading to the gateway of the Great Tower of Hampton Court Palace, London. The Royal Beasts were chosen by Henry VIII. His third marriage to Jane Seymour in 1536 represented a new hope for a dream male heir and the preservation of the royal line. The stylized form of the statues was elaborated for the coin series by David Lawrence.
The brave and fierce lion has featured in the coat of arms of England since its inception. The lion represents English courage, strength, dignity and pride - qualities that no other animal could boast in its time. The English lion acquired the status of a royal animal in the early twelfth century during the reign of Richard I (1189 - 1199), when heraldry was formally established. Henry VIII was a great supporter of the lion of England and therefore also established it as the shield-bearer in the royal arms. This made it an iconic heraldic symbol and today it represents Britain rather than England. The Lion of England, with its shield referring to the ancestors of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, is one of the first statues lining the railings of the moat bridge of Hampton Court Palace.

The obverse shows a traditional portrait of Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. The description of the coin states "ELIZABETH II. D.G.REG.F.D." and the denomination "25 POUNDS".

This product is part of the following product sets: