The PCGS Certified 2017 Queen’s Beast Griffin 1oz Gold Coin holds one troy ounce of 999.9 fine gold, carries the Griffin of Edward III and has been graded and sealed by PCGS. As UK legal tender with a £100 face value, it is exempt from Capital Gains Tax for UK residents and VAT-exempt as investment gold.

The PCGS 2017 Queen’s Beast Griffin of Edward III 1oz Gold Coin design

The Queen’s Beasts began as ten six-foot statues guarding the entrance to Westminster Abbey at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, each carrying the badge of a family in her ancestry. Jody Clark reinterpreted all ten for the Royal Mint’s bullion series, issued two coins a year between 2016 and 2021.

The griffin, half eagle and half lion, was a personal badge of Edward III. Jody Clark’s design shows it with a shield bearing the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, the castle Edward rebuilt and made the home of the Order of the Garter.

Reading the shield

Every beast in the series holds a shield. The shield, not just the animal, identifies the family or dynasty the beast stands for, so it is worth looking at both halves of the design.

PCGS grading of the 2017 Queen’s Beast Griffin of Edward III 1oz Gold Coin

The griffin’s feathers and mane give the design a lot of fine relief, which is where a high grade shows.

PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, is a widely used independent coin-grading service. It verifies that a coin is genuine, assigns a grade on the 70-point Sheldon scale and encapsulates it in a sealed holder. Bullion coins are graded Mint State, abbreviated MS, with 70 the highest possible mark.

Grades vary between individual coins. You will receive the coin at the grade printed on its label, and product photographs are illustrative rather than of the exact coin. Contact our team if you need a particular grade.

PCGS 2017 Queen’s Beast Griffin of Edward III 1oz Gold Coin specifications

Why buy a PCGS 2017 Queen’s Beast Griffin of Edward III 1oz Gold Coin?

The Griffin is the second coin of the series and one of the more unusual beasts, combining eagle and lion in a single figure.

It offers a full ounce of CGT-exempt gold with a design that stands apart from the lions and horses elsewhere in the set.

Why buy 1oz gold coins?

The one-ounce coin is the standard unit of the gold market. Because gold is priced per troy ounce, a 1oz coin’s metal value is simple to follow, and the larger size usually carries a lower premium per gram than fractional coins. Compared with a large bar, a holding of 1oz coins can still be sold a coin at a time, so you keep flexibility without paying fractional-coin premiums.

Frequently asked questions

What is a griffin?

A heraldic creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, used as a badge by Edward III.

Why does the shield show a castle?

It bears the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, which Edward III rebuilt and associated with the Order of the Garter.