Royal Mint, 2019 The Queen’s Beasts Yale of Beaufort 1/4 oz Gold Coin

Description

Majestic and regal, the Yale of Beaufort continues the legacy of impressive designs from the popular Queen’s Beasts series.

Coin Highlights:
Contains 1/4 oz of .9999 fine Gold.
Obverse: Displays the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, along with the face value of 25 pounds.
Reverse: Designed by Jody Clark, the design features a magnificent yale, with its horns as a focal point.
Sovereign coin backed by the British government.

When Her Majesty The Queen was crowned in 1953, the entrance to Westminster Abbey was guarded by ten fantastical creatures. The Queen’s Beasts were six-foot tall statues that symbolized the heritage and history Queen Elizabeth II inherited that day. These royal protectors have been brought to life in a collection named in their honor, which began in the year The Queen became the world’s longest reigning living monarch and continues in the year of Her Majesty’s Sapphire Jubilee.

The yale is a mythical beast, described to be the size of a hippopotamus, with the tail of an elephant and jaws of a boar. It descends to The Queen through Henry VII, who inherited it from his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Her position as a matriarch brought the yale prestige and a symbolic meaning. Today, the yale can be seen guarding prominent buildings of education such as Yale University, Christ’s College and St. John’s College in Cambridge.