The Queen's Beast: Burning Bull & Burning Unicorn

Burning Queen Beast is a series whose images of individual coins are based on the classic, colourless design of the Queen Beast issued by Royal Mint.

The series is inspired by a set of 10 sculptures placed in front of the eastern annex of the Westminster Chapel on the occasion of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Each of the sculptures depicts a mythical animal supporting the shield of the families and places connected with the past of the Windsor dynasty. The herd is part of the herd:



1. The Lion of England

2. The griffin of Edward III

3. Red Dragon of Wales

4. Unicorn of Scotland

5. The Clarence Black Bull

6. The Beufort Capricorn

7. The White Lion of the Mortimer's

8. Richmond's White Hound

9. The Plantagenet Hawk

10. White horse of Hanover



Each of the coins in the collection is plated - one of the most exclusive methods of coin refinement. The obverse and reverse are covered with black ruthenium, which is an excellent background for the Beast, which is decorated with 24-carat gold. An additional advantage for collectors is a limited mintage - each coin from the series is produced only in the amount of 200 pieces!
The images of the Beast were designed by James Woodford, an English sculptor at the Royal Academy of Art.

5£ Burning Bull - Queen's Beast

The Clarence Black Bull refers to the heraldry of monarch Edward IV, who chose it as his coat of arms. Edward IV became king and was known for his outstanding military and strategic skills. His peaceful reign was interrupted by the so-called Rose War, a brutal and bloody dispute between the houses of York and Lancaste. Edward defeated the Lancastrian forces in 1471 and ruled until his death in 1483.


5£ Burning Unicorn - Queen's Beast

The unicorn appears as a so-called "cache" in the coat of arms of Scotland. King Jakub I Stuart (known in Scotland as Jacob VI) added a Scottish unicorn to the British coat of arms in place of a Welsh dragon. The legendary enmity of the unicorn and the dragon has long symbolized the tense relations between these countries.



The Burning Queen's Beast is an extremely interesting and popular series, which gains in value every year.











Author: Izabela Lemańczyk