Royal Mint Announces Plans for New Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II

[augsburger]

I doubt they'll be released in June. I'd suggest that 2016 will have a different portrait. This is in keeping with most RM policy to date.

[<k>]

In these times of austerity, we should just reuse the old portraits by conjoining them into a new one.

[augsburger]

Or we could just the global market take hold, reduce regulation to zero



We allow people to make their OWN portrait.

[chrisild]

QE ages gracefully but may still not want to see various portraits, at various ages, on British circulation coins. The Make-Your-Own-Portrait could work though.

Christian

[UK Decimal +]

One important point to remember is that British Tradition decrees that successive portraits of the Monarch should become LARGER.   This proves to me yet another failing with our current (2008+) coinage.

Bill.

[<k>]

http://www.royalmint.com/aboutus/news/the-royal-mint-commemorates-artist-of-first-queens-portrait

The Royal Mint has revealed when the eagerly awaited fifth coinage portrait of Her Majesty The Queen will be unveiled to the world.

The news was announced to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Mary Gillick - the first artist to capture The Queen's portrait for her nation's coins.

The new fifth definitive portrait of The Queen and its designer will be officially announced at a special ceremony on Monday 2 March 2015 and will begin to appear on UK coins from that date onwards.

Today (27 January) marks 50 years since the death of the sculptor Mary Gillick, whose first coinage portrait of The Queen appeared on the coins of the UK and some commonwealth countries from 1953 until decimalisation took place in 1971.

Gillick's portrait, which is still struck on Maundy Money, portrays The Queen wearing a wreath on her head and was considered to be fresh, evocative and reflective of the nation's optimism as it greeted a new monarch in the post-war years.

There have been just four official UK definitive coin portraits created during The Queen's 62 year reign, with the most recent portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS acting as a familiar presence on our coins since 1998.

The fifth definitive portrait has been chosen by a closed competition commissioned by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) where a number of specialist designers were invited to submit designs under anonymous cover, before a winner was selected by the RMAC.

Adam Lawrence, Chief Executive of The Royal Mint, said, "This change of Royal portrait will make 2015 a vintage year for UK coins, and it will be hugely exciting for us all to see the new design appear on the coins we use every day. All newly issued 2015 year dated coins will continue to be struck with the current portrait of The Queen until the new portrait and its designer are announced on 2 March, when the new design will be struck on coins made after that date. It seemed fitting to confirm when the new design will be revealed at a time when many are paying tribute to the first artist to produce a coinage portrait of The Queen, and we wanted to mark the occasion by reminding people of one of Gillick's great accomplishments as a sculptor."

[Bimat]

The new portrait was unveiled just few seconds ago (3 seconds to be precise ). Image source: Royal Mint on twitter.

Aditya

[Bimat]

Better pic...(Same image source!)

Aditya

[<k>]

Here is the topic I prepared for Jody Clark two days ago:

Jody Clark, coin designer.

Does anybody know of any other of his designs?

[<k>]

Compare the new portrait to the current one, which is used worldwide. The difference is not huge. I prefer the current one.

[<k>]

And here it is on a 2 pound coin.

[Bimat]

Does anybody know of any other of his designs?

I dropped a question to Royal Mint asking the same on twitter. Let's see if I get a reply...

Aditya

[<k>]

On the old Maklouf portrait, she's wearing the same crown.

[Bimat]

Got a reply from Royal Mint. They told me what we already knew.

"Jody's most recent work is this 2014 Britannia design: http://www.royalmint.com/shop/The_Britannia_2014_Six_Coin_Silver_Proof_Set"

Aditya

[chrisild]

Compare the new portrait to the current one, which is used worldwide. The difference is not huge. I prefer the current one.

Right, no enormous difference. But with the new portrait QE seems to smile - at least she looks friendlier than on the current one.

Christian