The Pobjoy Mint has issued the fourth coin in its £2 Queen’s Beasts series.

The coins are issued on behalf of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Both a copper-nickel ringed-bimetallic version and a Proof .925 fine silver version with gold plating are available. The new release features the Red Dragon of Wales

The Red Dragon of the Queen’s Beasts is a mythical creature widely associated with strength, wisdom and power and represents the nation of Wales, in view of the Welsh heritage of Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. Its use as a heraldic symbol dates back to A.D. 829, as the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders.

Its association with the royal family began with the Red Dragon’s use as a badge by Sir Owen Tudor, grandfather of Henry VII, after the story of the dragon on Llewelyn the Last’s castle grounds.

Henry VII took it as a token of his supposed descent from Cadwaladr, the last of the line of Maelgwn. The beast holds a shield bearing a lion in each quarter; this was the coat of arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native prince of Wales.

The Queen’s Beasts are 10 heraldic statues representing the genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II and are depicted as the royal supporters of England. Each heraldic beast supports a shield bearing the bade or arms of a family associated with the ancestry of Queen Elizabeth II.

The original statues were commissioned to stand along the entryway to Westminster Abbey for her coronation in 1953.

The obverse of the coin features the Pobjoy Mint’s exclusive effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

Both Red Dragon coins weigh 12 grams and measure 28.4 millimeters in diameter.

The copper-nickel version is limited to a 2,750-coin mintage and retails for $27.95. The silver version has a mintage limit of 475 pieces and retails for $74.95.

To order the coins, visit the Pobjoy Mint website, www.pobjoy.com.

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