The changing of a coinage portrait is a rare occasion – throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, there have been only four previous definitive effigies on the coins we use every day, meaning that 2015 will be a vintage year for the coinage of the United Kingdom. Royal Mint engraver, Jody Clark, has captured The Queen’s portrait with both modern and traditional elements and conveys a sense of the monarch’s warmth, with a hint of a smile, reflecting the modern Queen we see today.

This cordial fifth definitive portrait adorns the obverse of every one of the definitive UK coins in this desirable set, from the 1p to the £2. And the £2 in this collection is doubly special as it bears the new reverse design that heralds the welcome return of Britannia to the UK’s circulating coinage. Struck in their circulating alloys, finished to a freshly minted Brilliant Uncirculated standard.