5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait (2026)
"Mary Gillick Portrait £5"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2026 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 28.280g |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Martin Jennings |
| Rev. artist | Gordon Summers |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King Charles III left, legend around.
· CHARLES III · D · G · REX · F · D · 5 POUNDS ·
Young laureate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right. Legend right.
PORTRAIT OF A QUEEN 1953-1967
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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 in circulated condition: the same denomination and metal, struck within 5 years. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £8.66
- £21.50
- £17.42
- £24.53
- £14.73
About the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait
The 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait is a collector 5 pounds coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: Young laureate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right. Legend right.
Common questions
How much is the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait worth?
No verified sale of the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
Who designed the Mary Gillick Portrait £5?
The portrait is Mary Gillick's, first used on coins in 1953. For this coin it was remastered by Gordon Summers, Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint, who is credited as reverse designer. The portrait of King Charles III on the obverse is by Martin Jennings.
How many Mary Gillick Portrait £5 coins were made?
The Royal Mint has published no struck or sold figure for the Brilliant Uncirculated coin, and its product page states no limit for it. The silver proof piedfort version is listed with a limited edition presentation of 1,500, which is an issue limit and not a sales figure.
Is the Portraits of a Queen £5 legal tender?
Yes. The royal proclamation that authorised it makes it legal tender for any amount. The Royal Mint says crowns are intended as souvenirs, that banks are not required to accept them, and that they can be exchanged for goods or services at main Post Office branches.
Why does the coin say 1953-1967?
The reverse inscription is PORTRAIT OF A QUEEN 1953-1967. Gillick's portrait first appeared on coins in 1953, the year of the coronation, and the Royal Mint dates the second definitive portrait, by Arnold Machin, to 1968. The coin itself is dated 2026 on the obverse.
Why is the Queen not wearing a crown on this coin?
Mary Gillick chose to show the young Queen without one. The Royal Mint describes her winning design as a light and fresh portrait of the monarch unencumbered by a crown and instead wearing a laurel wreath in the classical style.
How do I identify the 2026 5 Pounds - Charles III Queen Elizabeth II: The Mary Gillick Portrait?
Check the weight 28.28g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926, and the Royal Mint marked the centenary year with Portraits of a Queen: five £5 crowns dated 2026, one for each of the definitive portraits used on her coins. This is the first release. It reproduces the portrait by Mary Gillick that opened the reign on the coinage in 1953, the year of the coronation.
Gillick was a sculptor and medallist, and in 1952 she was one of 17 artists invited to submit designs. The Royal Mint records that she worked in a small chapel in a Moravian burial ground in Chelsea, and that the photographer Dorothy Wilding photographed the Queen in profile to guide the artists. Her winning design showed the young monarch without a crown, wearing a laurel wreath in the classical style. Some critics at the time thought it too youthful.
This is a collector coin sold in Brilliant Uncirculated packs. The Royal Mint has published no struck or sold figure for it.
The reverse carries Gillick's portrait, remastered by Gordon Summers, Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint, who is the credited reverse designer. The Mint says the field has been engraved with radial lines that catch the light as the coin is turned. The royal proclamation describes the design as a depiction of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscription PORTRAIT OF A QUEEN 1953-1967.
The obverse has Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III, with the inscription CHARLES III D G REX F D 5 POUNDS and the date 2026. The Mint presents the pairing as uniting mother and son on one coin. The edge is milled.
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
The Brilliant Uncirculated coin came in a pack that tells the story of Gillick's portrait, and the Mint also sold all five crowns together as a five-coin collection. A loose coin has been taken out of its pack, so check the open fields around the portrait for handling marks, which show easily on a crown of this size.
The same design was struck as a silver proof, a silver proof piedfort and a gold proof. The Mint lists the piedfort with a limited edition presentation of 1,500, which is an issue limit and not a count of coins sold.
Like every modern crown it is legal tender, but the Royal Mint describes £5 coins as souvenirs that are rarely found in circulation, and says banks are not required to accept them. The next coin in the set is the Arnold Machin portrait, and the last is the Jody Clark portrait.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Portraits of a Queen - Elizabeth II The First 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)
- First Coins of 2026 Revealed by The Royal Mint (press release, 2 January 2026), The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Striking Numbers, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Annual Coin Sales, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The Mary Gillick Portrait (range page), The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
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