Product Details
This impressive 1 kilo Silver coin from The Royal Mint features the fiery Red Dragon of Wales, the third release in the Proof Queen's Beasts series!
Coin Highlights:
- Contains 1 kilo of .999 fine Silver.
- Comes in a box and includes a certificate of authenticity.
- Maximum mintage of 200 coins.
- Obverse: Portrays the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
- Reverse: Designed by Jody Clark, the design features the mighty Red Dragon of Wales clutching a shield with its claws.
- Guaranteed by The Royal Mint.
This majestic coin is a must-have for any collection. Add this 2018 Great Britain Proof 1 kilo Silver Queen's Beasts Dragon to your cart today!
For centuries, heraldry has represented power and is closely connected with the monarchy, recording shifts in power through time. In 1953, the entrance to Her Majesty The Queen’s coronation at Westminster Abbey was guarded by ten sculptures that were over six foot tall – The Queen’s Beasts – which represented the heritage and traditions that Queen Elizabeth II inherited that day. The Queen’s Beasts have been revisited for a collection that celebrates remarkable royal times and brings the art of heraldry to life with contemporary designs. The series began in 2017 with coins for the Lion of England and Unicorn of Scotland, both struck in the year that Her Majesty marked her Sapphire Jubilee. Now, the latest release in the series has been struck in the year The Queen celebrates the 65th anniversary of her coronation, and it features the fierce Red Dragon of Wales.
Dragons are one of the best known mythical beasts. They are associated with strength, wisdom and power. The Red Dragon was an emblem of Owen Tudor, the grandfather of Henry VII. Henry’s troops carried a fiery red dragon standard at the Battle of Bosworth.
One of the oldest institutions in the world, the Royal Mint began producing coins for England, and eventually Great Britain, more than 1,100 years ago. The mint also produces and exports coins for other countries, as well as military medals, and other products for the British government. The Royal Mint has been witness to the legendary kings and queens, political upheavals, social and governmental progress, and scientific and technological breakthroughs.
The minting of coins began in England around the end of the second century B.C. Around A.D. 650, coins were made by craftsmen called “moneyers” in London. In 886, during the reign of Alfred the Great, the London Mint was designated to be a single institution, though there were many other mints in operation around this time. In 1279 the London Mint was moved to the Tower of London where it remained for the next 500 years. Famed physicist Sir Isaac Newton was the Warden of the Mint in 1696 and as such was responsible for investigating cases of counterfeiting. Three years later he was made Master of the Mint, until his death in 1727, and was responsible for moving England from the Silver standard to the Gold standard in 1717.
The Royal Mint had outgrown its home in the Tower of London so during the 18th century the rickety wooden shacks the mint occupied were rebuilt to accommodate mechanized and rolling mills and coining presses and provide more space. Soon, however, the mint outgrew this new location and in 1809, the mint moved from the Tower of London to an adjacent site in East Smithfield called Tower Hill. By 1899, the Royal Mint was striking 100 million coins a year.
In 1967 it was announced that mint would move from its location at Tower Hill to Llantrisant, Wales, following Parliament’s decision to decimalize currency and in 1968 the first coins were officially struck by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the new location in Wales. In 1986, the Royal Mint celebrated 11 centuries of continuous minting. In 2009, the Royal Mint was vested into a government-owned company to provide greater operating and commercial freedom.
One unique aspect of the Royal Mint is a procedure known as the Trial of the Pyx, dates back to 1282 and ensures newly-minted coins meet required government standards. The trials have been held once a each year since their inception and have changed very little over time. These trials are presided over by a judge with a jury of expert assayers and were held at the Palace of Westminster before they were moved to the modern-day site at the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. The ceremony was so named after the boxwood chest in which coins were placed for presentation to the jury.
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