1/4 oz The Tudor Beasts: the Seymour Unicorn Gold Coin

History

The Seymour Unicorn

The Seymour Unicorn coin is not just a tale of mythology, but one steeped in the rich tapestry of British royal history. At its core it symbolises the love story of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. Amidst King Henry VIII's turbulent reign, marked by political upheaval and a string of marriages, Jane Seymour emerged not just as another queen but as a beacon of hope for the Tudor dynasty. With her, Henry witnessed the birth of his long-awaited male successor, Edward VI. With its stunning design blending love, power, and legacy, the Seymour Unicorn is more than a coin; it is a symbol of this union.

As time has passed, the Seymour Unicorn's significance has grown beyond mere currency. Its majestic silhouette began to appear on a variety of royal objects. The unicorn became linked with regality and the British crown, from the complexities of royal symbols to the exquisite brushstrokes of artworks. A stroll through the old Hampton Court Palace reveals the unicorn's persistent presence, delicately engraved into the palace's stonework, bearing witness to its long-lasting significance.

Today, the allure of the Seymour Unicorn remains undiminished. It offers a window to bygone times capturing the delicate balance between British nobility, artistic expression, and deep-rooted symbolism. For collectors and history enthusiasts, this coin is not just a piece of metal but a tangible slice of the past, celebrating love's timeless power and the indomitable spirit of the British monarchy.

The Royal Mint is one of the oldest and most respected government institutions of Great Britain. Its long operating history, by some estimates over 1100 years, and coupled with its production of many of the world’s most famous coins, like the gold sovereign, has contributed to making it one of the best known and renowned mints in the world. Since 1279 when the mint established its operation in the Tower of London, it has been responsible for the production of coins of the United Kingdom. Its reputation for excellence and trust was further reinforced when Sir Isaac Newton became Master of the Royal Mint. During his tenure at the Royal Mint, he was responsible for moving the British pound to the gold standard.

Today the Royal Mint is not only responsible for minting coins used for circulation in the UK, but is likewise producing official coinage for more than 60 countries in the world. However, the most important and renowned coin ever to come out of its minting presses has without doubt been the sovereign gold coin which even today is being produced at its minting facility in the town of Llantrisant, Wales, UK. The accuracy and quality of the modern gold sovereign coin is the same as it was two hundred years ago, containing 22 karats of fine gold and weighing exactly 7.98805 grams. The popularity of the gold sovereign has likewise not changed, as confirmed in 2014 when the Royal Mint ran out of 2014 sovereign gold coins due to exceptional demand. The gold sovereign is without doubt one of the foremost gold coins ever to be produced and the fact that almost 100,000,000 sovereigns gold coins have been minted since 1957 is a testament to their excellence and trustworthiness. The reputation of the gold sovereign coin as “the chief coin of the world” will live on for centuries, as savvy investors will always prefer to keep a portion of their wealth in gold coins which are secure, liquid and trustworthy.