Lion and Eagle

He’s Done It Again!

The Most Prolific Designer in U.S. Mint History Joins Forces with the Royal Mint! Approved by the King of England, Legal Tender, Extremely Limited!

When The Royal Mint goes about creating a legal tender coin program, it is not taken lightly. Every step of the process, from concept drawing to handcrafting the sculpture and creating the dies, is meticulously overseen by the artist and craftsmen at the mint, and nothing moves ahead without the Royal Proclamation from the Monarchy, approved by King Charles III himself. The Lion and The Eagle coin release is no exception!

The concept was to create a coin program celebrating the enduring friendship between Great Britain and the United States of America.

The Most Prolific Designer in U.S. Mint History Joins Forces with The Royal Mint®

To bring this vision to life, The Royal Mint reached out to the most prolific coin designer in the history of the United States Mint, John Mercanti. An American artist, sculptor, and former Chief Engraver at the United States Mint (2006-2010), John Mercanti has worked to create the reverse design. The decision by The Royal Mint to commission Mercanti for this historic coin design underscores his immense respect and recognition within the global coin design community.

John started his concepts, drawing on the two nations’ symbols. The choice of the Bald Eagle as the symbol of America draws inspiration from ancient civilizations like Rome, where the eagle was associated with power, authority, and freedom. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. admired these characteristics and adopted the Bald Eagle as the national emblem in 1782. The noble Lion has been a prominent emblem in British heraldry since the 12th century, representing strength, nobility, and courage. It is one of the earliest animals to appear in royal emblems, and its first recorded use was the gift of a blue shield decorated with small golden lions, given to Geoffrey Plantagenet by Henry I in 1127. These two symbols stand united on the reverse, their unwavering gazes exuding a powerful aura of unity, strength, and shared values.

The design was inspiring with an elegant feel befitting a king; and on July 19th, 2023, His Majesty King Charles III signed The Royal Proclamation approving The Lion and The Eagle coin design.

A Historic Collaboration on a Coin Design that Unites Nations

This first-ever historic collaboration commemorates the national symbols of both the United States and Great Britain, the Eagle and the Lion, standing as a powerful representation of unity between two formidable nations. 

The choice of the American Bald Eagle as the symbol of America draws inspiration from ancient civilizations like Rome, where the eagle was associated with power, authority, and freedom. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. admired these characteristics and adopted the Bald Eagle as the national emblem in 1782. The noble Lion has been a prominent emblem in British heraldry since the 12th century, representing strength, nobility, and courage. It is one of the earliest animals to appear in royal emblems, and its first recorded use was the gift of a blue shield decorated with small golden lions, given to Geoffrey Plantagenet by Henry I in 1127. These two symbols stand united on the reverse, their unwavering gazes exuding a powerful aura of unity, strength and shared values. The obverse features the portrait of his majesty King Charles III by Martin Jennings, and the British legal-tender value in pounds.

Struck in Pure Gold and Silver

These 2023 Lion and Eagle Proofs are available in six denominations. Choose yours struck in one kilo of 99.9% gold (£1,000 Great Britain legal tender); five ounces of high-purity 99.99% gold (£500 legal tender); one ounce of high-purity 99.99% gold (£100); five ounces of 99.9% fine silver (£10 legal tender); two ounces of 99.9% fine silver (£5 legal tender); or one ounce of 99.9% fine silver (£1 legal tender). 

Proofs Are Struck to A Higher Standard of Quality

The exquisite proof finish offers a much higher standard of beauty, quality, and craftsmanship than coins with non-proof finishes. Proof planchets (blanks) are specially treated, hand-polished, and cleaned to ensure high-quality strikes, then fed into presses fitted with specially polished dies and struck multiple times, unlike non-proofs which are struck only once. The extra strikes give Proofs a glamorous shine and make intricate, razor-sharp details of the design pop against polished, mirror-like fields. While non-proofs are struck on high-speed presses by the thousands, these proofs are struck individually by highly skilled artisans creating numismatic masterpieces. 

Certified Flawless PF70 UC and First Day of Issue by NGC

Proofs and coins are graded on a 70-point scale, with a grade of 70 representing absolute perfection, even under magnification. There is no higher grade, and that’s what you have here. These 2023 The Lion and The Eagle Proofs have been certified as perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), one of the top coin-grading services in the world. The Ultra Cameo (UC) designation signifies these coins possess an intense frosted finish on both sides of the coin, with highly polished fields accenting the raised elements. 

Each Proof also carries a First Day of Issue (FDI) designation—which means that select coins were purchased on the first day that the mint releases that coin. 

These Proofs are not just the best of the best, they’re the first of the best. 

Exclusive John Mercanti Hand-Signed Signature Labels

Each of these perfect, flawless Proofs comes sonically sealed with an exclusive label with a hand-signed signature from the reverse designer, John Mercanti. Each coin will arrive in a Royal Mint branded presentation case, along with the original packaging and a certificate of authenticity. 

Extremely Low Worldwide Mintages 

These 2023 The Lion & The Eagle Proofs have highly limited worldwide mintages we authorized—just 7 of the kilo gold, just 31 of the five-ounce gold, just 385 of the one-ounce gold, just 806 of the five-ounce silver, just 2,006 of the two-ounce silver; and just 4,510 of the one-ounce silver coins were authorized. All the coins here are in perfect PF70 UC condition, designated as First Day of Issue, with a hand-signed label. 

Just take a look to see why having these impressive Lion & Eagle Proofs as part of your collection will make you smile!

2023 Great Britain Kilo Gold The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI

• Kilo of 99.9% Gold
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £1,000 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI)
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 7 Authorized
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Five-Ounce Gold The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI 

• Five Ounces of 99.99% Pure Gold
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £500 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI) 
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 31 Authorized
• Limited Availability 

2023 Great Britain One-Ounce Gold The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI 

• One Ounce of 99.99% Pure Gold
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £100 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI) 
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 385 Authorized
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Five-Ounce Silver The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI 

• Five Ounces of 99.9% Fine Silver
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £10 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI) 
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 806 Authorized
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Two-Ounce Silver The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI 

• Two Ounces of 99.9% Fine Silver
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £5 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI) 
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 2,006 Authorized
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain One-Ounce Silver The Lion & The Eagle Proof PF70 UC FDI 

• One Ounce of 99.9% Fine Silver
• FIRST EVER Collaboration Between the Royal Mint and a U.S. Mint Chief Engraver
• John Mercanti Reverse Design
• Proof Finish
• £2 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70 UC) Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified First Day of Issue (FDI) 
• Hand-Signed Label by Reverse Designer John Mercanti
• Royal Mint Branded Presentation Case
• Only 4,510 Authorized
• Limited Availability