This stunning 2oz silver coin from 2020 is the ninth release in the ten-part “Queen’s Beasts” series, featuring the White Horse of the House of Hanover.
Made of fine silver and weighing two ounces (62.2 grams), this coin celebrates the House of Hanover, which began its rule in Britain with George I in 1714. He was chosen due to his status as the closest Protestant relative to Queen Anne. The House of Hanover, an offshoot of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Duchy of Brunswick, continued its reign until the German monarchy was dissolved with the establishment of the republic in 1918.
The White Horse on the coin is shown rearing over George I’s Royal Coat of Arms, symbolizing the Kentish horse, distinct from the galloping horse of Hanover. The emblem below is divided into four sections, representing England & Scotland, France, Ireland, and Hanover (which includes Brunswick, Lüneburg, and Hanover).
The Queen’s Beasts are a collection of ten statues originally created to stand guard at the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, sculpted by James Woodford RA. While the original statues are now housed at the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec, stone replicas can be found at Kew Gardens in London.
This coin has a £5 face value and, like other British currency, is exempt from Capital Gains Tax when sold.
