Westminster Abbey Gargoyle Type IX – 1 Troy Ounce Silver Round

Explore the Gargoyles of the World collection

LOCATION: Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England

High above the streets of London, carved creatures add a fantastical counterpoint to Westminster Abbey’s solemn architecture. Type IX in Intaglio Mint’s Gargoyles of the World collection brings one of those figures into view, translating an architectural detail into one troy ounce of .999 fine silver.

Centuries Written in Stone

Westminster’s history reaches back before the Gothic church visitors recognize today. Edward the Confessor’s abbey was consecrated in 1065; in 1245, Henry III began rebuilding in the new Gothic style. The result developed over generations, combining royal ambition, religious devotion, and the work of skilled masons.

Pointed forms, elaborate carving, and carefully ordered stonework give Gothic buildings their distinctive character. Alongside the grand spaces and monuments, smaller details reward a closer look. A projecting creature can introduce surprise, humor, or unease into an otherwise formal architectural composition.

Gargoyles also belong to the practical story of buildings. True gargoyles discharge rainwater away from masonry; ornamental creatures without that function are more precisely called grotesques. Westminster Abbey’s architectural account describes gargoyles with drainage pipes emerging from their mouths, showing how useful engineering and expressive carving could work together.

This round celebrates that meeting of imagination and craftsmanship. The location photograph provides a connection to the Abbey, while the silver interpretation gives a normally elevated detail a setting that can be studied close at hand.

Obverse Design

A depiction of a gargoyle at Westminster Abbey fills the obverse, capturing the character of the architectural figure within the round’s circular format.

Reverse Design

Gothic window frames surround “GARGOYLES OF THE WORLD,” with a gargoyle perched on the “O” in the central lettering. The hallmark appears at six o’clock.

Specifications

• Weight: 1.00 troy ounce
• Thickness: 3.10 mm
• Purity: .999 fine silver
• Edge: Reeded
• Diameter: 39 mm
• Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated