The fifth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and drop earrings.

The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a type of crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by queens and queens consort in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. The piece of jewelry has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith.

Engraver: Jody Clark

Depicts a panoramic scene by the Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677), the breathtaking horizon has been skilfully remastered by designers at the Royal Mint. The intricate detail of the original illustrations is achieved by combining traditional craftsmanship and innovative laser cutting technology. Above the primary design is the text which reads LONDON.

Wenceslaus Hollar, a Bohemian graphic artist, spent much of his life in England and produced a majority of his works there. Those works were copious, consisting of around 400 drawings, and 3,000 etchings, encompassing a wide range of subjects, including portraits, landscapes, nature, religions and cityscapes. One of his more impressive works, and historically useful, was ‘Long View of London from Bankside’, ironically produced while living in Antwerp, from drawings he’d done while in London a few years previous. Taking a single viewpoint, from what is now Southwark Cathedral, it covers the city from the Palace of Whitehall in the West, to Greenwich in the East. Obviously, cramming all that detail onto a coin (the original is 2.7 metres wide!), is quite impossible, so the Royal Mint has taken a small section of it.

Centred on the Tower of London, a sensible choice given it still exists, with the old St. Olaves church on the South Bank (originally built in the early 11th century, a later building on the same site was demolished in the 1920s), it takes the art from the rightmost of the six plates making up the complete image. In front of the Tower is the River Thames with tall-masted ships carrying trade to and from all corners of the Empire. It’s a neat idea for a coin, taking actual period depictions, rather than another tedious modern view.

Design: The Royal Mint Design Department