2017 1/4 Oz Great Britain Queen's Beast Gold Coin (Griffin) - BU

Buyback price:  $989.17
Bullion Standard Pro Buyback price:  $1,003.23

Product ID: BST-0010710C89

Specifications

Year 2017
Precious Metal Type Gold
Bullion Coin Type Queen's Beasts
Format Coin
Country of Origin Great Britain
Brand/Mint The Royal Mint
Purity 0.9999
Weight 0.25 oz
Diameter (mm) 22 mm
Inner Pack (Quantity) 25
Outer Pack (Quantity) 500
Grade BU

Product Details

Overview of the 2017 Queen's Beast Griffin 1/4 oz Gold Coin

The 2017 Queen's Beast Griffin is a 1/4 troy oz gold coin struck by The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom, carrying a fineness of .9999 and legal tender status of 25 pounds sterling. It belongs to the Queen's Beast series, a ten-coin program that draws from the heraldic tradition of British royal symbolism and has attracted strong collector and bullion buyer interest since its debut in 2016. Each coin in the series represents one of the ten heraldic beasts that stood guard at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

We carry the Griffin coin in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, making it appropriate for buyers seeking both the weight and purity of a standard bullion instrument and the visual quality of a well-struck collectible. The 1/4 oz format positions it at a price point that appeals to buyers building a fractional gold position or adding a series piece without committing to the full-ounce version.

History and Background

The Queen's Beast series was launched by The Royal Mint in 2016 as a tribute to the ten heraldic guardian figures that flanked Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953. Those stone figures, modele

Overview of the 2017 Queen's Beast Griffin 1/4 oz Gold Coin

The 2017 Queen's Beast Griffin is a 1/4 troy oz gold coin struck by The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom, carrying a fineness of .9999 and legal tender status of 25 pounds sterling. It belongs to the Queen's Beast series, a ten-coin program that draws from the heraldic tradition of British royal symbolism and has attracted strong collector and bullion buyer interest since its debut in 2016. Each coin in the series represents one of the ten heraldic beasts that stood guard at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

We carry the Griffin coin in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, making it appropriate for buyers seeking both the weight and purity of a standard bullion instrument and the visual quality of a well-struck collectible. The 1/4 oz format positions it at a price point that appeals to buyers building a fractional gold position or adding a series piece without committing to the full-ounce version.

History and Background

The Queen's Beast series was launched by The Royal Mint in 2016 as a tribute to the ten heraldic guardian figures that flanked Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953. Those stone figures, modeled by sculptor James Woodford, represented the royal houses of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The coin program adapts each beast into a high-relief design that balances numismatic artistry with the practical demands of a bullion-grade product.

The Griffin of Edward III was the third release in the series, issued in 2017. Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377, used the gold-crowned griffin as one of his personal heraldic badges, a symbol that carried associations with strength, guardianship, and valor. The Royal Mint has produced coins for the British Crown for over 1,000 years, giving this series a provenance that connects modern precision minting with a deep institutional history.

The 1/4 oz gold version of each Queen's Beast coin draws buyers who prioritize fractional weight flexibility alongside the artistic and historical depth of the series. Demand for individual issues has historically been supported by the program's defined scope, since collectors pursuing a complete set create sustained interest in each release.

Design and Aesthetics

The reverse of the coin features the Griffin of Edward III rendered in high relief against a textured background. The griffin is depicted rearing upright, its wings spread and its form detailed with the precision that distinguishes The Royal Mint's modern coin artistry. The design incorporates the shield bearing the arms of Edward III, flanked by the inscription "GRIFFIN OF EDWARD III" and the denomination mark "1/4 OZ FINE GOLD 999.9," confirming both the series identity and the coin's metal content.

The obverse carries the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, a right-facing effigy that became standard on UK coinage beginning in 2015. The portrait is accompanied by the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II," "D G REG FID DEF," and the face value of 25 pounds. The coin's 13.93 mm diameter and crisp fields reflect the tight tolerances maintained throughout The Royal Mint's production process.

Fractional Size and Accessibility

At 1/4 troy oz, this coin gives buyers meaningful exposure to .9999 fine gold from a sovereign mint without the full capital commitment of a one-ounce piece. For buyers assembling a collection of Queen's Beast coins across multiple weights, the 1/4 oz format provides an entry point that keeps individual acquisition costs manageable while maintaining the same design fidelity and purity standard as its larger counterparts.

Fractional gold from The Royal Mint also carries the same legal tender status as full-ounce issues, which reinforces its recognition in resale environments. The smaller size makes it practical for gifting, incremental accumulation, or filling gaps in an existing precious metals holding.

Authenticity and Product Integrity

The Royal Mint strikes the Queen's Beast Griffin to a declared fineness of .9999, placing it among the purest gold coins produced by any sovereign mint. Each coin is produced under the quality controls maintained by one of the world's oldest continuously operating mints, and the inscribed weight and purity specifications are part of the coin's official legal tender identity rather than a secondary certification.

We verify authenticity, weight, and purity across the products we handle, and our authorized dealer relationships with PCGS and NGC support additional grading and encapsulation options when buyers want a formally certified example. The coin's sovereign origin, recognizable design, and declared specifications collectively support confidence in its authenticity and metal content.

Condition and Packaging

Brilliant Uncirculated refers to coins that have been struck for general sale but have not entered circulation, retaining their full mint luster and sharp detail without the wear associated with circulated examples. BU coins may show minor contact marks or bag marks from handling during the minting and packaging process, which is normal for this condition grade and does not reflect a defect in the coin's quality or metal content.

Individual coins ship in a protective plastic flip to prevent contact damage during transit. The Queen's Beast 1/4 oz gold coins are typically packaged by The Royal Mint in tubes of 25, and a sealed outer box contains 10 tubes for a total of 250 coins. Buyers purchasing a full tube quantity will receive coins in the original tube, while larger orders reflect the sealed box format. Packaging is handled to preserve condition from our inventory through to delivery.

Pricing and Market Factors

Pricing for the Griffin coin is based on the current spot price of gold with a premium applied above that baseline. The premium for this coin reflects several converging factors: the .9999 fineness, The Royal Mint's standing as a sovereign issuer, the collector demand associated with the Queen's Beast series, and the added production cost of the high-relief design and smaller fractional format.

Fractional gold coins from sovereign mints typically carry higher premiums per troy ounce than one-ounce equivalents due to the fixed per-unit production costs distributed across a smaller metal weight. Collector interest in the Queen's Beast series as a defined, now-completed program also influences the premium structure relative to standard bullion coins. Our pricing reflects real-time market conditions, and the bid/ask spread displayed on our product page provides a transparent view of the full transaction at current market levels.

Selling and Liquidity

The Queen's Beast series carries broad recognition across the global precious metals market, particularly among collectors and dealers familiar with Royal Mint products. The Griffin issue benefits from its place within a complete, bounded series, which supports continued resale demand from buyers pursuing the full collection. Its .9999 fineness and legal tender status reinforce its acceptability across standard resale channels.

We operate a two-way market that allows customers to both buy and sell within the same platform. Competitive buyback pricing for recognized sovereign coins like this one reflects the liquidity that well-known fractional gold products typically support. Considering the resale side of a transaction at the time of purchase gives a more complete picture of true ownership cost, and our platform is structured to make that information accessible before a decision is made.

Why Buy the Queen's Beast Griffin 1/4 oz Gold Coin?

The Griffin coin offers something that generic fractional gold bars or rounds do not: a defined place within a completed sovereign series backed by one of the world's most historically significant mints. For buyers who value design depth alongside metal content, the Queen's Beast program represents a rare combination of artistry and bullion-grade purity standards. The fact that the series is now complete also means there will be no future Griffin issues to dilute demand from collectors building a full set.

The .9999 fineness standard, legal tender status, and The Royal Mint's international reputation give this coin strong cross-market recognizability. At 1/4 oz, it occupies a practical weight tier for buyers who want direct gold exposure at a more accessible per-unit cost while still holding a coin with established collector demand behind it.

Why Buy from Bullion Standard?

We have built our business around transparency and informed decision-making rather than high-pressure sales tactics. Our pricing is structured to reflect real-time market conditions, and we display bid/ask spreads on product pages so buyers understand both sides of the transaction before committing. That level of pricing clarity is central to how we operate and how we have maintained an A rating with the Better Business Bureau since our founding.

We are members of the American Numismatic Association and the National Coin and Bullion Association, and we serve as authorized dealers for both PCGS and NGC. Our sourcing network draws from reputable mints, refineries, and distributors, and every product goes through authentication and verification before it reaches our customers. The experience we provide is built for buyers who want straightforward answers, reliable fulfillment, and a trustworthy relationship with their dealer over the long term.

Get Near-Spot Pricing with Bullion Standard Pro

Bullion Standard Pro gives members access to live, executable wholesale bid and ask pricing on products including the Queen's Beast Griffin 1/4 oz gold coin. Rather than working from static retail prices, Pro members transact at wholesale market prices that reflect real-time supply and demand, without additional dealer markups applied on top. For a fractional gold coin in a collector-driven series, understanding how premiums and spreads move over time adds meaningful context to any buying or selling decision.

Pro also includes real-time portfolio valuation based on current wholesale bid pricing, proprietary market intelligence tools, and product research capabilities that let members compare premiums, bid/ask spreads, and liquidity metrics across the broader catalog. These tools are designed to reduce the information gap that has traditionally made it difficult for buyers to evaluate whether a given product represents fair value relative to current market conditions.

Flexible and Secure Payment Options

We support a broad range of payment methods to make purchasing straightforward and secure. Buyers can complete transactions using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover, as well as PayPal, bank-connected payments through Plaid, wire transfer, paper check, or cryptocurrency via BitPay. Each method is integrated into a secure checkout environment designed to protect transaction data and give buyers confidence at every step of the process.

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