1 oz Gold The Royal Tudor Beasts Seymour Panther 2026
- Grand Finale: the tenth heraldic beast
- Tudor Legacy: Jane Seymour's heraldic badge
- Royal Mint: UK's official mint
- Grand FinaleThe last animal to appear individually in the series
- Tudor LegacyHenry VIII had Anne Boleyn's leopard reworked
- Royal MintStruck in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces
- Grand Finale: the tenth heraldic beast
- Tudor Legacy: Jane Seymour's heraldic badge
- Royal Mint: UK's official mint
Price alert 
Share
Royal Mint · Tudor Beasts
The guardians of the Crown
Royal Tudor Beasts 2026, 1 ounce gold, picture side
Heraldic beasts guard the Crown: in 1536 on the bridge at Hampton Court, in 1953 outside the Abbey for the coronation.
1536 · Hampton Court
Ten guardians on the bridge
In 1536 Henry VIII had the stone bridge over the moat at Hampton Court completed, built of brick and more than 600 tonnes of stone. On it stood ten heraldic beasts, the King’s Beasts, displaying the King’s ancestry.
In the 17th century the bridge and the beasts vanished into the moat for more than 150 years. When the excavation began in 1909, only fragments of the beasts were found; the figures guarding the entrance today are copies from the 1950s.
2 June 1953 · Westminster
Ten beasts in plaster
For the coronation of Elizabeth II, ten heraldic beasts stood outside the Abbey’s glass-fronted annexe, designed by Eric Bedford: six feet tall, made of plaster, the work of James Woodford. His model was the King’s Beasts of Hampton Court.
The ten beasts chosen were those that best showed the Queen’s ancestry, from the Lion of England and the Griffin of Edward III to the Unicorn of Scotland and the White Horse of Hanover.
1956 · Kew
Guardians in Portland stone
At Kew, copies in Portland stone stand guard outside the Palm House, by the same sculptor, given in 1956 by an anonymous donor.
After the coronation the plaster figures went to Hampton Court and in 1957 to Windsor. Since 1959 they have belonged to Canada and stand in the Canadian Museum of History.
Royal Tudor Beasts · 2026
The Seymour Panther
David Lawrence based the panther on the figure on the bridge at Hampton Court, with surface animation as an additional security feature. Among the bullion coins it is the tenth release and the last beast to appear individually; it had opened the collector coins in 2022.
The value side carries Charles III, one ounce of gold at 999.9/1,000.
ShieldThe shield of the beast
YearThe year, as struck
Initials MJMJ: the initials of Martin Jennings
Arms and crown
Lion and unicorn hold the arms
On the Royal Arms gold of 2022, the lion and the unicorn hold the royal arms, with the motto “DIEU ET MON DROIT” beneath. For the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the Sovereign too carried the royal arms instead of St George.
The crown itself becomes a motif too: St Edward’s Crown and the Imperial State Crown appear in 2026 as coloured reliefs on two ounces of silver from Niue.
The Lion and the Eagle unites the British lion and the American eagle, designed by Jonathan Olliffe.
The Sovereign
A gold coin travels the world
Henry VII gave the name Sovereign to a new gold coin in 1489. In the 19th century the Sovereign was called the “chief coin of the world”, accepted even in Brazil.
The Royal Mint also struck it at branch mints, from Sydney from 1855 to Pretoria from 1923, almost 500 million pieces in all. Today the Australian Sovereign of the Perth Mint shows a new St George, drawn by Jennifer McKenna.
The faces of the Crown
One face, seven decades
Mary Gillick showed Elizabeth II with a laurel wreath instead of a crown, and Jody Clark chose the diadem of her coronation in 2015: the first and the fifth of her portraits on British coins.
On British coins the portrait of Charles III is by Martin Jennings; the King approved it himself. The Queen’s British coins remained valid: some 27 billion were in circulation when the first circulating coins with Charles were struck.
At a glance
- Series
- The Royal Tudor Beasts
- Metal
- gold
- Weight
- 1 ounce
- Fineness
- 999.9/1,000
- Country of issue
- Great Britain
- Face value
- 100 Pounds
- Year
- 2026
- Quality
- brilliant uncirculated
- Mint
- The Royal Mint
The British Crown
Today the heraldic beasts stand guard at Kew in Portland stone, in Canada in plaster and on coins in gold and silver.
Seymour Panther 2026: The Grand Finale of the Royal Tudor Beasts
- Design: A spotted panther with a crowned collar and chain, holding the shield emblazoned with the Seymour wings. David Lawrence has powerfully reinterpreted the stone figure from the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace for this design.
- Material / Fineness: A full troy ounce (31.1 g) of pure gold with a fineness of 999.9/1,000. It doesn't get any purer within the bullion standard.
- Manufacturer: The Royal Mint, Britain's official state mint. The issue was produced in partnership with the experts at Historic Royal Palaces.
Ten stone guardians line the bridge over the moat at Hampton Court Palace. They represent the union between Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour – and the claim to power of an entire dynasty. Since 2022, the Royal Mint has dedicated its own bullion series to these heraldic beasts. The 1 oz Seymour Panther Gold Coin 2026 now marks the tenth release in the series. At the same time, the panther is the last creature to appear individually on a bullion coin in this range. Among modern British gold coins, this issue therefore marks a true closing chapter.
A series that has accompanied collectors for years
The Royal Tudor Beasts build on the great success of the Queen's Beasts. Here, too, all the designs come from David Lawrence. Before the Panther, releases included the Bull of Clarence, the Seymour Unicorn, the Greyhound of Richmond, the Queen's Panther, and the Royal Dragon as gold coins in the Royal Tudor Beasts series. Anyone wishing to complete their collection should therefore not miss this concluding issue.
From Anne Boleyn's Leopard to Jane Seymour's Panther
The story behind the design is typical of the Tudors: pragmatic, power-conscious, and a little cunning. The figure originally depicted a leopard, the heraldic beast of Anne Boleyn. After her execution, Henry VIII had Anne's coat of arms and badges replaced or destroyed. Rather than commissioning a new figure, however, he simply had the leopard reworked. This gave rise to the Seymour Panther, which from then on served as a shield-bearer in the new queen's coat of arms.
In heraldry, the panther is regarded as fierce and wild. According to legend, the flames issuing from its mouth and ears represent its enchanting breath, which lures all animals to it – all except the dragon, which prefers to hide away in its lair.
Details you'll only notice on closer inspection
- Obverse: The panther with its mouth wide open and covered in spots, with a crowned collar and chain around its body. Before it stands the shield bearing the Seymour wings. These are joined "in lure", meaning the wingtips point downward.
- Security feature: The finely structured background carries a surface animation. It refracts light vividly and makes counterfeiting more difficult.
- Inscription: SEYMOUR PANTHER · 1oz · FINE GOLD · 999.9, along with the year of issue, 2026.
- Reverse: The official coin portrait of King Charles III, designed by Martin Jennings, with the legend CHARLES III · D · G · REX · F · D · 100 POUNDS.
Technical specifications of the Panther gold coin
- Metal: Gold, fineness 999.9/1,000
- Fine weight: 1 oz (31.1 g), gross weight 31.1 g
- Diameter: 32.69 mm
- Face value: 100 GBP, legal tender in the United Kingdom
- Year of issue: 2026
- Condition: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU), bullion quality
- Packaging: individually in a coin capsule
- Manufacturer: The Royal Mint, United Kingdom
Seymour Panther, Britannia, or Krugerrand?
Anyone looking for a one-ounce British-minted gold coin usually thinks first of the Britannia. It, too, comes from the Royal Mint and is struck in 999.9 fineness. However, its design remains the same year after year. The Seymour Panther, by contrast, tells a chapter of English history and brings to a close a series that many collectors have followed for a long time. The Krugerrand, meanwhile, is made of 22-carat gold with a copper content. This makes it more durable, but not quite as pure.
In fairness, it should be said that themed coins like the Royal Tudor Beasts often carry a somewhat higher premium than classic standard coins. In return, you get a coin that appeals to investors and collectors alike. This means that when it comes time to sell, you can reach both buyer groups. In addition to the 1 oz version, the Seymour Panther is also available as a 1/4 oz gold coin, as well as in platinum and fine silver.
Gold: Trust built over 6,000 years
No other store of value has such a long history. Even in ancient Egypt, the yellow metal served as a benchmark in trade, later also along the Silk Road. In the 19th and 20th centuries, entire currencies were even tied to it under the gold standard. Paper money has come and gone. Gold has remained. Its value has never fallen to zero, because it possesses an intrinsic value that no government needs to grant. It is not for nothing that gold is called God's money.
Fiat money can be created without limit, whereas the earth's gold reserves are finite. This is precisely why the precious metal is considered a proven inflation hedge, protecting against loss of purchasing power and currency risk. It has also repeatedly proven itself as crisis protection during politically and economically turbulent times. Tellingly, the world's largest gold holders are the central banks themselves.
Gold is the oldest currency in the world. It is understood everywhere, traded globally, and can be converted into cash at any time.
Tax-attractive for private investors
As investment gold, the Seymour Panther is exempt from VAT in Germany under § 25c UStG. If you hold the coin for longer than one year, profits from its sale are generally tax-free. This advantage makes the ounce particularly attractive for long-term retirement provision and for wealth you wish to pass on to future generations.
A fitting conclusion for your collection
Perhaps it will become the centerpiece of your complete Royal Tudor Beasts series. Perhaps it will be the very first ounce in your vault. Either way, you receive the highest fineness, the minting quality of a state mint, and a story worth telling again and again. Gold has shone for thousands of years. With the Seymour Panther, that shine takes on an unmistakable face.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
