2022 marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne.

As someone who has thousands of coins with the Queen on them, here are some of my reflections.

Above: this pre-decimal florin shows the Queen in her mid-20s. She’s almost still styled as a Princess with a wreath in her hair, rather than a crown. This was the image used on all pre-decimal UK coinage until 1967. To me it evokes an era of British history I didn’t experience: the post-war years and the entrance into a second Elizabethan Golden Age.

Below: this old 5p coin (size of a current 10p) was used from the beginning of decimalisation (1968 on) until the mid-80s. Wearing a tiara given to her by her grandmother, Mary of Teck, she still embodies youthfulness as Britian moved into the decimal era in the 1970s. This image makes me think of organising pennies by the year when I was a child - stacking them up on a futon in the front room and wanting to get a whole set.

Above: this £1 coin shows what, in my mind, is the iconic image of the Queen on a coin. Regal and simple, the Queen is wearing the Royal Diadem - the same an on British stamps. I find this image striking in its simplicity - perhaps I like it the most as it was the coin I most strongly associate with childhood.

Below: this shows the fifth image used of the Queen - I don’t think I’ve ever painted the 4th (although it looks very similar!)

By the time we get to this old pound coin, I find myself thinking of two things: firstly, that this is the Queen that I know and recognise. Unlike the pre-decimal coins when the Queen is in her 20s, this is the Queen I have seen most of my life. And secondly, my nostalgia for this coin is signiciantly less as I don’t use coins that often in my day-to-day life. Despite loving coins and owning so many, I use contactless 99% of the time. It makes me wonder about the future of coinage in a post-Elizabethan world.

There are many, many better explanations of reign of Queen Elizabeth II - some looking at the coinage, or the coronation or the symbolism of monarchy.

Here are a few of my favourite links:

The Royal Mint

Facts about the Coronation

British Pathe - archive footage of the Coronation on YouTube, highly worth watching!

Interested in more coinage nerdery? This on Wikipedia might interest you.