For the first time ever the Queen’s signature will feature on a new coin

After 70 years as a reigning monarch, it’s no surprise that Queen Elizabeth II’s image has graced a number of currencies across the globe, but a new collection of coins will soon be introduced and for the first time ever will feature Her Majesty’s signature.

In honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, Irish artist and illustrator Patrick James Lynch has designed a set of limited edition £5 coins featuring Queen Elizabeth’s “Elizabeth R.” signature front and centre.

“I began thinking about how her hands are such an important thing — she is always shaking hands, using them to carry out symbolic tasks like presenting awards, planting trees or unveiling plaques,” Lynch tells The Telegraph.

“It is how she communicates with hundreds, if not thousands, of people at once.

“It led me to consider her signature, which is so symbolic, an instrument of state when she signs official documents, but also her personal promise and commitment.”

This is the first UK coin to feature The Queen’s signature in detail. Source: The Royal Mint

The new collection not only features the Queen’s signature but also highlights three particular aspects of her life: “the bestowing of her honour”, “her charity and her patronage”, and “her Commonwealth of nations”.

“Books can last hundreds of years,” Lynch says.

“But there are coins that are thousands of years old. They tell so much about an era.”

 

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The release of the new coins isn’t the first time The Royal Mint has honoured a member of the Royal Family with a commemorative coin after Prince William was honoured with a prestigious £5 coin that featured a very regal-looking Prince William as a special tribute for his 40th birthday. 

The design is accompanied by the number 40 placed to the left of Prince William and his royal cypher, ‘W’ positioned to the right. The coin’s engraver, Thomas T. Doherty, described the design as representing a nice “balance” between William’s life as a father and his royal title and responsibility.

The release of the Queen’s limited edition coins is just one of the numerous tributes that have been made to honour the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee year.

In celebrations of her many decades’ worth of service, a series of street parties, celebrations, and phenomenal tributes took place across the country as Brits joined in on the merriment and exuberant spirit of the milestone.

The 96-year-old is the longest-serving British monarch in history, after being proclaimed Queen on February 6, 1952, at the ripe age of 25, following the death of her father King George VI.