UK's Royal Mint today unveiled a new coinage portrait of the 88-year-old Queen Elizabeth II.
The new portrait, the fifth one of her 63-year reign, showing a side profile of the monarch wearing a crown and drop earrings designed by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark was unveiled at a ceremony here.
"I really liked the four previous coin portraits - each one is strong in its own way. I hope that I've done Her Majesty justice and captured her as I intended, in a fitting representation," 33-year-old Clark was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
Clark is the first Royal Mint engraver to be chosen to create a definitive royal coinage portrait in more than 100 years
Coins featuring the new image will go into production from today but will only appear in circulation later this year, the Royal Mint said.
"This change of royal portrait will make 2015 a vintage year for UK coins, and it will be hugely exciting for us all to see how the new design appears on the coins we use every day, said Adam Lawrence, chief executive of the Royal Mint.
Four official portraits of the Queen have already appeared on coins in 1953, 1968, 1985 and 1998. The new coin replaces a previous portrait which dates back to 1998.
