Okay….. so the chances are you will already be aware of ‘The Queen’s Beasts’ range of £5 coins. If not, it is basically a collection of ten coins, each featuring a different creature. It is a nice idea for coins and a nice set to own. A few of these beasts have also gone up to ludicrous amounts of money on the secondary market – for no apparent reason (mintage is not exceptionally low).
So….. after releasing the last coin in this series (along with an additional completer medal just for good measure), The Royal Mint were left with a gap to fill. What could they do to fill this exactly?
‘A few of these beasts have also gone up to ludicrous amounts of money on the secondary market – for no apparent reason (mintage is not exceptionally low)’
Well…. the obvious answer to this pickle was to create another range of £5 coins. This time it would be called, ‘The Royal Tudor Beasts’ – basically a collection of ten coins, each featuring a different creature. Déjà vu anyone? Oh, and it is also worth mentioning that probably three quarters of the animals on these are exactly the same animals on ‘The Queen’s Beasts’ £5 coins. Hmmmmm.
This time round David Lawrence is responsible for the artwork on these coins. With ‘Beasts’ it was Jody Clark. However, if the truth be known, they are all much of a muchness and (judging by this first release) you would find very little difference between the style or design between either range. It is all a bit not very exciting and just lacks originality.
Specifications :
£5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin –
Alloy – Cupro-Nickel
Diameter – 38.61mm
Weight – 28.28g
Mintage – Unlimited*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
One Ounce Silver Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999 Ag
Diameter – 38.61mm
Weight – 31.21g
Mintage – 7,010*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Two Ounce Silver Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999 Ag
Diameter – 40.00mm
Weight – 62.42g
Mintage – 2,006*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Five Ounce Silver Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999 Ag
Diameter – 65.00mm
Weight – 156.295g
Mintage – 306*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Ten Ounce Silver Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999 Ag
Diameter – 65.00mm
Weight – 312.59g
Mintage – 156*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Silver Proof Kilo Coin –
Alloy – 999 Ag
Diameter – 100.00mm
Weight – 1005.00g
Mintage – 72*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Quarter Ounce Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999.9 Au
Diameter – 22.00mm
Weight – 7.80g
Mintage – 1,010*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
One Ounce Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999.9 Au
Diameter – 32.69mm
Weight – 31.21g
Mintage – 560*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Two Ounce Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999.9 Au
Diameter – 40.00mm
Weight – 62.42g
Mintage – 356*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Five Ounce Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999.9 Au
Diameter – 50.00mm
Weight – 156.295g
Mintage – 131*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Ten Ounce Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 999.9 Au
Diameter – 65.00mm
Weight – 312.60g
Mintage – 31*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
Gold Proof Kilo Coin –
Alloy – 999 Au
Diameter – 100.00mm
Weight – 1,005.00g
Mintage – 14*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – David Lawrence
*All mintages quoted are MCM (Maximum Coin Mintage). This means this is the most coins that may be issued. Ultimately, it is down to The Royal Mint to decide how many are minted so the reality is that each number given may turn out to be lower.
© Article and images (except where stated) copyright Mik Smith 2022
