Obverse. Photo © Royal Mint
  • 50 Pence 2021, Sp# QBCSA5, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, Queen's Beasts, Yale of Beaufort
  • 50 Pence 2021, Sp# QBCSA5, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, Queen's Beasts, Yale of Beaufort, Frosted Proof
  • 50 Pence 2021, Sp# QBCSA5, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, Queen's Beasts, Yale of Beaufort, 10 coin set
Description

When Her Majesty The Queen was crowned in 1953, the entrance to Westminster Abbey was guarded by 10 fantastical creatures – The Queen’s Beasts – created by sculptor James Woodford RA. First sculpted in plaster, the Queen's Beasts have had several homes since their debut, now residing in the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec. However, James Woodford RA also sculpted replicas of the beasts in Portland stone that now sit outside the Kew Gardens in London.

The Queen’s Beasts are issued since 2016 in commemorative coin form, launched one beast at a time. The coins are available in a range of finishes, from mint-condition Brilliant Uncirculated cupro-nickel to Proof editions in silver and gold, struck from 1-ounce to 1-kilo sizes.

The Yale of Beaufort is the sixth creature to appear on the Royal Mint’s commemorative “Queen’s Beasts” range following the launch of the Lion of England, Unicorn of Scotland, Red Dragon of Wales, Black Bull of Clarence and Falcon of the Plantagenets.

The entire series' designs are created by engraver Jody Clark.

Obverse

The fifth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and drop earrings.

The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a type of crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by queens and queens consort in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. The piece of jewelry has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith.

ELIZABETH II·D·G·REG·F·D·50 PENCE·
JC

Reverse

A dynamic depiction of the Yale of Beaufort leaping over the shield shows a portcullis surmounted by a royal crown. The portcullis (uncrowned) was a Beaufort badge, but was used both crowned and uncrowned by Henry VII.

The yale or centicore (Latin: eale) is a mythical beast found in European mythology and heraldry. Most descriptions make it an antelope- or goat-like four-legged creature with the tusks of a boar and large horns that it can swivel in any direction. The yale was first written about by Pliny the Elder in Book VIII of his Natural History: he describes the eale as a creature found in Aethiopia "the size of a hippopotamus, with an elephant's tail, of a black or tawny colour, with the jaws of a boar and movable horns more than a cubit in length which in a fight are erected alternately, and presented to the attack or sloped backward in turn as policy directs."

The yale is among the heraldic beasts used by the British Royal Family. It had been used as a supporter for the arms of John, Duke of Bedford, and by England's House of Beaufort. Its connection with the British monarchy apparently began with Henry VII in 1485. Henry Tudor’s mother, Lady Margaret (1443–1509), was a Beaufort, and the Beaufort heraldic legacy inherited by both her and her son included the yale. Her position as matriarch of the Tudor dynasty gave the yale prestige and symbolic meaning.

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JC
YALE OF BEAUFORT

Edge

50 Pence

5th portrait, Reverse Frosted Proof Coin
Sp# QBCSA5
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.999
Weight 7.86 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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