Queen Elizabeth II The Second Effigy 2026 UK

Five different portraits of Queen Elizabeth II appeared on British coins between 1953 and 2023. Her second portrait is commemorated by the second commemorative coin from the thematic series of The Royal Mint.

The second official portrait of Elizabeth II on coins was designed by British sculptor Arnold Machin. This portrait appeared in 1968 and became a symbol of the moment when the island's currency switched to the decimal system and one pound began to be divided into one hundred pence. Compared to the previous portrait, which had a girlish appearance, the new image had a more mature character. Once again, the artist avoided the usual portrait ending at the neck and opted for a bust. However, he replaced the laurel wreath with a diamond tiara given to Elizabeth by her grandmother. The portrait became extremely widespread – in addition to coins, it also appeared on postage stamps, and with hundreds of billions of copies, it is considered the most reproduced work of art in history.

The contemporary portrait of Elizabeth II, created by medallist Arnold Machin, was remastered in 2026 by engraver Gordon Summers. The profile of the monarch on the reverse is surrounded by rays symbolising eternity and elegance. The obverse side of the coin is dedicated to the attributes of the issuer – i.e. a portrait of the current king, Charles III, the text CHARLES III D G REX F D (Charles III, by the grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith) and the nominal value of 5 POUNDS (GBP).

The commemorative coin, minted from base metals, is stored in special packaging that tells its story in words and pictures (in English).