2 oz 2017 Royal Mint Queen's Beasts | Red Dragon of Wales Silver Coin

This is the third two ounce silver coin in the Queen's Beasts series issued by Britain's Royal Mint. The coin features a dragon, which has symbolized Wales since 829 A.D.

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 was watched over by 10 heraldic beasts, created to represent the various branches of royal genealogy over the centuries. The dragon represents sovereignty and power, and was first used in the Royal Arms in the 16th century. The shield the dragon is holding displays a lion in each quarter, as on the coat of arms of Llywelyn the Last, the last native Prince of Wales.

The coin is exceptionally thick, as the diameter is the same as a one ounce coin. Unusually, both sides were executed by Jody Clark, an engraver at the Royal Mint. His effigy of the Queen is the only fifth to have graced British coins since 1953.

In multiples of 10 this coin will ship in a mint tube