Queen's Beasts Platinum

Platinum Queen's Beasts from The Royal Mint

The Queen's Beasts platinum coins are the only way to hold this completed Royal Mint series in .9995 fine platinum. Issued from 2016 to 2021, the ten-coin collection celebrated the heraldic beasts represented as six-foot statues at Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation. Each beast traces a line of royal ancestry, from the Lion of England (Richard I) through to the White Greyhound of Richmond (Henry VII). An eleventh Completer Coin in 2021 gathered all ten beasts on a single design, closing the series.

Platinum Queen's Beasts were struck only in the 1 oz denomination, carrying a face value of GBP 100 and sharing the same 32.69 mm diameter as the gold 1 oz version. Every reverse was designed by Jody Clark, the Royal Mint engraver responsible for the fifth definitive coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. From 2018 onward, bullion versions incorporated a guilloche patterned background, a braided-ribbon geometric motif that serves as both visual enhancement and anti-counterfeiting measure.

The series is now complete and no longer in production. This gives the platinum Queen's Beasts a fixed supply that distinguishes it from ongoing series like the Platinum Britannia. For UK investors, the coins carry the same CGT exemption as their gold and silver counterparts, since all Queen's Beasts are UK legal tender. Platinum's 20% VAT on purchase remains a cost to factor in, but the CGT exemption on disposal partially offsets this over a long holding period.

1 oz Platinum Queen's Beasts Specifications

The Ten Beasts and Release Schedule

Bullion versions were produced with no mintage cap, struck to meet demand during each year of release. Proof variants exist in limited numbers with different finishes. All coins share the Jody Clark obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Platinum Queen's Beasts Tax Treatment by Country

As UK legal tender coins, the platinum Queen's Beasts benefit from CGT exemption in the United Kingdom, the same status afforded to the Gold Britannia and Gold Sovereign. Purchase, however, attracts 20% VAT since platinum does not receive the investment gold VAT exemption. Dealers offering vault storage outside free circulation can supply these coins without VAT, though physical delivery triggers the full 20% charge.

Country-by-Country Summary

• United Kingdom: 20% VAT on purchase. CGT exempt on disposal (UK legal tender). SIPP eligible as qualifying gold alternative (platinum via approved pension provider). VAT-free vault storage available from some dealers.
• United States: No federal sales tax; most states exempt investment-grade platinum. Not IRA eligible (only US Mint products and certain approved foreign coins qualify). Capital gains taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt when platinum purity is 99.5% or above. The Queen's Beasts at 999.5 fine comfortably meets this threshold. Capital gains at 50% inclusion rate.
• Australia: GST-free for platinum at 99% purity or above in investment form. The Queen's Beasts qualifies. CGT applies with a 50% discount for holdings over 12 months.
• New Zealand: GST exempt for platinum at 99% purity or above. No capital gains tax.
• Singapore: GST exempt under the Investment Precious Metals (IPM) scheme for platinum at 99% purity or above from an LPPM-accredited source. No capital gains tax.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax.
• South Africa: 15% VAT on platinum bullion. No platinum Krugerrand exists, so there is no equivalent legal tender exemption for platinum as there is for gold. CGT at 40% inclusion rate for individuals.
• EU: Gold versions of Queen's Beasts are VAT exempt under the EU investment gold directive. Platinum is subject to standard local VAT rates (17% to 27% depending on country).

Platinum Queen's Beasts vs Other Platinum Coins

The 1 oz Platinum Queen's Beasts occupies a distinctive position in the market. It is a completed, finite series from a sovereign mint, struck at the same 999.5 purity used by every major platinum bullion coin. Its closest competitors are the ongoing sovereign platinum coins: the Platinum Britannia, the American Platinum Eagle, the Platinum Maple Leaf, and the Platinum Philharmonic.

The Platinum Britannia, also from The Royal Mint, shares the same CGT exemption for UK residents and the same GBP 100 face value. The practical difference is that the Britannia remains in production (introduced 2018) and carries the Royal Mint's four-feature security suite from 2021 onward, including surface animation, latent image, tincture lines, and micro-text. The Queen's Beasts uses a simpler guilloche background pattern. For buyers who value ongoing supply and the latest security technology, the Britannia is the more straightforward choice. For those who prefer a closed series with annual design variety, the Queen's Beasts offers ten distinct reverse designs rather than a single repeated motif.

Against North American alternatives, the American Platinum Eagle (999.5 fine, $100 face value) benefits from IRA eligibility in the United States, a tax advantage the Queen's Beasts cannot match. The Platinum Maple Leaf (999.5 fine, $50 CAD face value) is one of the oldest platinum bullion coins (since 1988) and is GST/HST exempt in Canada. Both carry wider international recognition than the Queen's Beasts among North American dealers.

The Platinum Tudor Beasts is the direct successor series from The Royal Mint (2022 to 2026). It shares the same 999.5 purity, GBP 100 face value, CGT exemption, and guilloche security feature. The Tudor Beasts reverses are designed by David Lawrence rather than Jody Clark, with Tudor-era heraldry replacing the coronation-derived imagery of the Queen's Beasts. Collectors who acquired Queen's Beasts platinum may view the Tudor Beasts as a natural continuation.