10 Pounds - Elizabeth II Lion of England, Silver Proof

The Lion of England was the first release in the Queen's Beasts series, which drew from the ten heraldic animals flanking the Queen's Champion at the 1953 Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The series was conceived partly in response to collector appetite generated by the 2016 Royal Mint bullion program, and the proof versions were struck in limited numbers with frosted relief against mirrored fields.

At 156.3 grams, the five-ounce format placed this issue in direct competition with similar proof programs from Perth and the U.S. Mint — a deliberate commercial calculation by the Royal Mint as it aggressively expanded its collector coin revenue in this decade.