26 January 2015
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The Royal Mint reveals date for the unveiling of the fifth coinage portrait of the Queen
The Royal Mint has revealed the date of the unveiling of the fifth coinage portrait of the Queen. ...
The Royal Mint has revealed the date of the unveiling of the fifth coinage portrait of the Queen.
The news has been announced to mark the fiftieth anniversary on 27 January) of the death of Mary Gillick - the first artist to capture The Queen’s portrait for the nation’s coins.
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.
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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.
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 featuring on our coins since 1998.
THE FIFTH COINAGE PORTRAIT
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.'
(Images copyright The Royal Mint)
For all the latest coin and stamp news and new issues, buy Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
The news has been announced to mark the fiftieth anniversary on 27 January) of the death of Mary Gillick - the first artist to capture The Queen’s portrait for the nation’s coins.
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 featuring on our coins since 1998.
THE FIFTH COINAGE PORTRAIT
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.'
(Images copyright The Royal Mint)
For all the latest coin and stamp news and new issues, buy Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
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