New image of the Queen set to grace UK coins

A new portrait of the Queen is set to appear on UK coins from next year, the Royal Mint has announced.

The 1953 portrait, by Mary Gillick

This will be the first new portrait of the monarch since 1998 and only the fifth image commissioned during the Queen’s 62-year reign.
A number of designs have been submitted by specialist designers for the new portrait, and the winning design will be revealed next year.

The 1974 portrait, by Arnold Machin

The designs were submitted in a closed competition and will be assessed by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee.
The current portrait of the Queen was created by Ian Rank-Broadley and has been in circulation for 16 years.

The 1985 portrait, by Raphael Maklouf

The new image of the Queen will feature on the new £1 coin, which is set to go into circulation in 2017.
In September, the Royal Mint launched a public design competition to find designs for the “tails” side, with the winner to receive a £10 000 fee for their design, which will stay in circulation for around 30 years.

The 1998 portrait, by Ian Rank-Broadley

 

(Thu, 6 Nov 2014 | By Angus Montgomery, Design Week)