The Royal Tudor Beasts - The Yale of Beaufort 1/4 Oz 2023

The Royal Tudor Beasts - The Yale of Beaufort - 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 2023, is the second 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 mythological yale with the armorial shield granted by Henry VIII to Jane Seymour as Queen. The inscription "YALE OF BEAUFORT", weight, fineness and year of issue complete the rim of the design.
The Royal Tudor Beasts is a series of ten heraldic sculptures placed on the bridge leading to the Great Tower Gate of Hampton Court Palace in London. The Royal Beasts were chosen by Henry VIII to symbolise the legitimacy of his family, their devotion to the throne, the strength of the Tudor dynasty and their association with the Seymour family. His third marriage to Jane Seymour in 1536 represented a new hope for a dream male offspring and the preservation of the royal family line. The stylized form of the statues was elaborated for the coin series by David Lawrence.
Yale comes from European folklore. The magnificent four-legged animal with the body of a goat or antelope is studded with gold. The large horns can turn and thus defend and attack in all directions. Its tail resembles the tail of a lion and the golden tusks of a boar.
Yale of Beaufort, as one of the Queen's animals, is depicted as a strong defender. The collar of the crown expresses royal ownership, and the chain around the body shows how the mighty creature was tamed. Jane Seymour was not of royal blood and had no direct connection to the Beaufort heraldry itself. But Yale was associated with the title of Duke of Somerset, which belonged to Edward, Jane's brother. The king used this heraldic symbol to reinforce the position of the new royal consort. At the same time, he was emphasising the Tudor family's link with the powerful Beaufort family, and so consolidating his own position on the throne.

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.

This product is part of the following product sets: