Elizabeth II Coins Value Guide: Five Portraits, 70 Years, Every Issue
Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 214 days — the longest of any British monarch. Her coinage spans pre-decimal sterling, the 1971 decimalisation, the introduction of the £1 (1983), the bimetallic £2 (1997), the 12-sided £1 (2017), and dozens of commemorative designs. Five different official portraits were used across her reign, by five different artists. This guide covers every era, the most-collected issues, the famous rarities (Kew Gardens 50p, 1992 EU Presidency 50p, 2008 undated 20p), and the 2022 memorial 50p.
The five portraits in detail
| Years | Portrait | Sculptor | Defining feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–1968 | 1st | Mary Gillick | Laureate young head, pre-decimal era only, no crown |
| 1968–1984 | 2nd | Arnold Machin | Crowned bust, mature face, neck visible. The decimal-launch portrait. |
| 1985–1997 | 3rd | Raphael Maklouf | Crowned bust, older face, chest detail visible. |
| 1998–2015 | 4th | Ian Rank-Broadley | Crowned head, fifty-something. Olympic 50p era. |
| 2015–2022 | 5th | Jody Clark | Crowned head, sixty-something, finer detail. Final portrait. |
Pre-decimal Elizabeth II (1953–1970)
Pre-decimal Elizabeth II coinage runs from her February 1952 accession through to Decimal Day on 15 February 1971. Denominations: farthing, halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, two shillings (florin), half crown and crown. Most are common; key collectables are:
- 1953 Coronation crown — equestrian reverse by Cecil Thomas, mintage 5.96 million circulating + 40,000 proof. BU £15-50; proof £30-80.
- 1953 plastic-set specimens — the original Coronation specimen sets in blue plastic boxes. £30-100 depending on condition.
- 1953 plain-edge proof penny — legendary rarity, only a handful known. £30,000+ at auction.
- 1956 ENGLISH-shilling vs SCOTTISH-shilling varieties — both struck for the same year, identifiable by reverse arms.
- 1965 Churchill commemorative crown — first British coin to feature a non-royal commoner. Mintage 19.6 million; common in worn condition, £5-15 BU.
See our individual denomination guides for detail: farthings, halfpennies, threepence, shillings, florins, crowns.
Decimal Elizabeth II (1971–2022)
The decimal era covers four of the five portraits (Machin through Jody Clark) and dozens of commemorative designs. Key rarities:
- 2009 Kew Gardens 50p (mintage 210,000). The most-collected modern UK rarity. Full guide.
- 1992–1993 EU Presidency 50p (mintage 109,000). The lowest-mintage 50p ever issued; technically rarer than the Kew Gardens but is the older large-50p format. £30-150.
- 2008 undated 20p mule (mintage estimated 50,000-200,000). Wrong-die strike; first undated UK coin in 300 years. £50-150. Full guide.
- 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Northern Ireland (mintage 485,500). The rarest circulating £2. £30-60.
- 2011 Olympic Football 50p (mintage 1,125,500). The famous "offside rule" coin and the lowest-mintage of the 29 Olympic 50ps. £15-30.
- 1996 European Football Championship £2 — the first bimetallic £2 commemorative. £5-15.
The 2022 memorial 50p
Two weeks after Queen Elizabeth II\'s death on 8 September 2022, the Royal Mint released a special memorial 50p with a Charles III portrait obverse by Martin Jennings and a coat-of-arms reverse adapted from Elizabeth II\'s royal cypher. Circulating mintage was 5 million; finding one in change is uncommon but realistic. BU examples sealed in Royal Mint memorial cards trade at £5-12. The memorial 50p was the first Charles III coin to enter circulation and a transitional moment in modern British numismatics.
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