The Seymour Unicorn
Henry VIII chose the unicorn to guard the Moat Bridge. Wild and untamed, the unicorn was believed to be the strongest of all creatures. Now, it is a part of The Royal Tudor Beasts Collection, a ten-coin collection that explores the rise of a royal dynasty.
Powerful and influential, the early Tudors faced many threats to their sovereignty, and Henry VIII often used heraldry to legitimize his lineage. He commissioned a procession of carefully carved Royal Beasts from myth and legend to stand at the entrance to Hampton Court Palace, a statement of royal power with every heraldic shield and symbol. These royal protectors are the inspiration behind The Royal Tudor Beasts Collection, a ten-coin collection that explores the rise of a royal dynasty.
The Seymour Unicorn follows the Bull of Clarence onto the latest coin in the collection. Before being chosen by Henry VIII to guard the Moat Bridge, the mythical unicorn wasn’t really known as a royal heraldic beast. Wild and untamed, the unicorn was believed to be the strongest of all creatures, so to have one set in stone outside the palace was a clear display of royal dominance. Many believed the unicorn also represented purity and fertility, and so by giving the beast to Jane Seymour, the king was perhaps hoping their marriage would be blessed with a son and heir.
The coin is available in gold Proof, silver Proof, and Brilliant Uncirculated editions from the Royal Mint. The one-ounce silver Proof edition features the edge inscription ‘∙ HAMPTON COURT PALACE ∙ ROYAL TUDOR BEASTS’; this edition of the coin is also available as part of a two-coin set, with one coin featuring a reverse frosted finish. Created in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, each coin comes with a booklet on the mystical unicorn.
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