5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait Gold Proof (2026)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2026 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 39.940g · 1.1771 t oz |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King Charles III left, legend around.
Second crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, Legend right.
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not a sale of this coinWe have no sold price for this coin yet. This range is the middle of what 12 similar coins sold for as issued: the same denomination and metal, struck within 5 years. The lower figure is its metal value today. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £7,000
- £3,150
- £6,039
- £2,563
- £2,348
About the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait – Gold Proof
The 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait – Gold Proof is a collector 5 pounds coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 39.94g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: Second crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, Legend right.
Common questions
How much is the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £3,542 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How do I identify the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 39.94g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Arnold Machin Portrait. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926, and for the centenary year the Royal Mint issued five £5 crowns, each carrying one of her definitive coinage portraits. This is the second release. It revives the portrait by Arnold Machin, which the Mint says was created for the coins struck for decimalisation.
The Mint records that, with decimalisation approaching, many thought a new portrait would help the public tell the new coins from the old. Teams competed for the commission, among them a Royal Academy group that included the sculptor Arnold Machin RA, who won. Machin said he wished to "produce a design with charm and dignity and yet without sentimentality". The Queen sat for him four times while he sketched and modelled in clay, and the Duke of Edinburgh followed the work closely.
This is a Brilliant Uncirculated collector coin. No struck or sold figure has been published.
The reverse reproduces Machin's portrait, and the Royal Mint's £5 design list credits Gordon Summers as reverse designer of the 2026 coin. The Royal Mint Museum notes that Machin replaced the laurel wreath of the first portrait with a tiara. The proclamation gives the inscription as PORTRAIT OF A QUEEN 1968-1984, in line with the Royal Mint's dating of Machin's portrait to 1968 and of Raphael Maklouf's to 1985.
The obverse has Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III with CHARLES III D G REX F D 5 POUNDS and the date 2026. The edge is milled.
Sources
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Portraits of a Queen - Elizabeth II The Second Effigy 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of gold, standard silver, silver piedfort and five pound cupro-nickel coins (notice 4894491, 13 June 2025), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The Coinage Portraits of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: the Artists' Stories, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Elizabeth II on coins, The Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The Second Effigy (range page), The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Striking Numbers, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- What is a £5 Crown?, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- First Coins of 2026 Revealed by The Royal Mint (press release, 2 January 2026), The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
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