10 Pounds - Elizabeth II Lion of England, Silver Piedfort

The Lion of England was the first release in the Queen's Beasts series, itself drawn from the ten heraldic supporters that flanked the Queen's throne at her 1953 coronation. The piedfort format — double the standard planchet thickness — has been used by the Royal Mint since the medieval period as a presentation striking, originally issued to verify die quality and as gifts to dignitaries. Modern pieforts revived that practice commercially in the 1980s.

The series ran through 2021, completing all ten beasts. The Lion of England piedfort was the highest-mintage piedfort in the run, a distinction that has kept secondary market premiums comparatively modest despite the considerable silver content.