Posts by Change Checker
What are ‘The Queen’s Beasts’ and why do they feature on the new £5 coins?
In 2017, The Royal Mint revealed a series of brand new base metal UK £5 coins featuring an intriguing range of creatures called the ‘Queen’s Beasts’.
After all 10 beasts were released, The Royal Mint struck a final coin as the perfect way to celebrate the series as a whole.
2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5
Designed by acclaimed Royal Mint engraver, Jody Clark, the reverse of this coin features not just one, but ALL TEN beasts together on a single coin to celebrate the series as a whole.
The design features each heraldic creature from the series in a striking illustration of Her Majesty’s royal line of descent.
Recognisable as national symbols and representations of the great houses that vied for the throne, the Beasts include lions, a bull, a falcon, a horse and a greyhound, as well as creatures of myth and legend.
This coin is now OFF SALE AT THE MINT, so don’t miss the chance to secure yours in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality here >>
Or why not view the full range of coins and fill the gaps in your Queen’s Beasts collection here >>
Why “The Queen’s Beasts”?
Over 400 years ago Henry VIII commissioned the sculpting of 10 heraldic animal statues. They were produced to represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. These became known as “The King’s Beasts” and can still be seen to this day, guarding the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace.
In 1952, in preparation for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, sculptor Sir James Woodford was tasked to create ten new statues, similar to “The King’s Beasts” but more suited to the Queen. Woodford was instructed not to produce exact replicas to those at Hampton Court Palace as some of them would have had little connection with Her Majesty’s own family or ancestry.
As the Queen arrived for her coronation at Westminster Abbey, she was greeted by 10 six-foot tall beasts each representing a different part of her genealogy and thus “The Queen’s Beasts” were born.
The 10 beasts were made up of ‘The Lion of England’, ‘The White Greyhound of Richmond’, ‘The Yale of Beaufort’, ‘The Red Dragon of Wales’, ‘The White Horse of Hanover’, ‘The White Lion of Mortimer’, ‘The Unicorn of Scotland’, ‘The Griffin of Edward III’, ‘The Black Bull of Clarence’ and ‘The Falcon of the Plantagenets’.
After the coronation, the beasts were offered to Canada as a gift. The Canadian government accepted and the beasts can still be seen today on display in the Canadian Museum of History.
The Queen’s Beasts in modern culture
Still to this day, the Queen’s Beasts play a hugely important part in British culture, in particular The Lion of England and The Unicorn of Scotland.
For example, they feature in the logos of some of our country’s most famous and important institutions, most notably The Royal Arms, 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
Now that you know about the history of these heraldic creatures, take a look around and you’ll be surprised how often you see them being used in everyday life.
Secure the 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 for your collection today for £24.99 (+p&p)
The Queen’s Beasts coins have proved incredibly popular with collectors since the very first issue and as we see the release of the final coin I wouldn’t delay in securing one for your collection today.
Your coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, ensuring its quality is perfect for you to add to your collection. It will also come protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging to preserve it for generations to come.
To secure the 2021 UK Queens Beasts £5 for your collection whilst stocks last, click here >>
November 2017 Video Newsletter
Watch as Yasmin and Luke discuss all the latest news from the world of change collecting…
The truly unique ‘Bronze 20p’ error coin
ENTRIES TO THE ‘BRONZE 20P’ DRAW ARE NOW CLOSED
We love to hear when Change Checkers make a great coin discovery. We’re often contacted about mis-strikes which are interesting oddities but what really excites us are ‘error’ coins.
Genuine ‘error’ coins, especially those verified by The Royal Mint, are VERY rare and finding one is a goal for many change collectors.
So imagine our excitement when somebody contacted us after finding one of the rarest ‘error’ coins yet!
The ‘Bronze 20p’
Earlier this year, we were contacted by a collector named David Crosier who informed us he’d found a very rare ‘error’ coin.
A collector for over 50 years, David told us how he’d often look out for mis-strikes and ‘mules’ but there was something special about this particular coin. Initially he presumed the coin was plated but decided to send it to The Royal Mint to be certain.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ flanked by a 20p and 1p coin from the same year
After examination by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, the coin was confirmed by The Royal Mint as an extremely sought-after minting ‘error’.
Somehow a 1p ‘blank’ found its way into the presses and a 20p was accidentally struck onto it.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ is significantly thinner than he standard 20p coin
Errors like this are extremely rare, in fact so rare we’ve never heard of another ‘Bronze 20p’, but The Royal Mint verified the authenticity of the coin with a letter and so here at Change Checker we knew this was an opportunity not to be missed.
Chris Barker, Assistant Curator for The Royal Mint Museum, confirmed the ‘Bronze 20p’ as a genuine ‘error’ coin
Now the great news… we want to give away the amazing ‘Bronze 20p’ to one lucky Change Checker!
And what’s more, you won’t just win the ‘Bronze 20p’, the coin is set in a specially designed presentation box alongside a Brilliant Uncirculated 1p and a Brilliant Uncirculated 20p coin from the same year, beautifully highlighting the minting error.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ is housed in a specially designed presentation box alongside a Brilliant Uncirculated 20p and 1p coin from the same year.
Your chance to win the coin
We’ll be selecting a lucky Change Checker to win this coin. If you’re already registered then we’ll automatically include you in the draw.
To register your free account, all you need to do is enter your email address and choose a password.
ENTRIES FOR THE ‘BRONZE 20P’ DRAW ARE NOW CLOSED
Full Terms and Conditions can be found below.
Good luck!
Terms & Conditions
- All registered members of changechecker.org at midnight on 7th December 2017 will be automatically entered into the prize draw. No purchase is necessary to register.
- The draw will take place on 11th December 2017 and the winner will be notified on that day by email to their registered changechecker.org email address.
- The winner will receive the “Bronze 20p”. There is no cash alternative.
- Participants agree to meet reasonable requests to assist publicity.
- The prize draw is promoted by The Westminster Collection / Change Checker, trading divisions of 288 Group Ltd.
- Employees of 288 Group and their families are not eligible to enter.