Elizabeth II Coins

Queen Elizabeth Coins

Elizabeth II was born on April 21st, 1926 in Mayfair, London. The eldest of two daughters, Elizabeth was heir to the throne of her father, King George VI.

The former king died whilst the Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, were abroad on a royal visit. Elizabeth became Queen on her return; a reign which started on February 6th, 1952 and is still ongoing.

To date, Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning British monarch and the oldest current head of state. She is the longest-reigning female head of state also, and as of October 2019 she is the oldest monarch in the world at the age of 93. As such, it is little surprise that there are millions of Queen Elizabeth coins issued both in Britain and in many other countries. Those who are part of the commonwealth in particular still feature Queen Elizabeth on their coins including Australia and Canada.

The Royal Mint has produced five different portraits of Her Majesty The Queen during her reign. The designs are as follows:

• First head (Young): 1957 - 1968. Designed by Mary Gillick.
• Second head (Decimal): 1974 - 1984. Designed by Arnold Machin.
• Third head (Proof only): 1985 - 1997. Designed by Raphael Maklouf.
• Fourth head: 1998 - 2015. Designed by Ian Rank-Broadley.
• Fifth head: 2016 - Present. Designed by Jody Clark.