Queen Elizabeth II, died in September after a reign of seven decades, had been the only British monarch to appear on a banknote, according to Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England. The bank did not have permission to use a monarch’s face until a few years after the queen’s reign.
The UK Treasury authorized the bank in 1956 to use the Queen’s portrait in a new series of banknotes, according to the bank’s website. It was not until 1960 that the face of his grace first adorned a note, which was a one pound note. It was followed by a 10-shilling note the following year.
As with anything royal, people had opinions. The Queen was shown wearing the diamond tiara and a stern expression in his portrayal.
“It was a formal and regal image, and has been criticized for being a harsh and unrealistic likeness,” according to the bank website. People found the portrait used on a redesigned 5 pound note in 1963 and a 10 pound note in 1964 much more natural.
Following other designs, the bank has used the same portrait of the Queen on its banknotes since 1990, according to the website. She was 64 when the bank issued money with the new portrait. Charles is 74 years old.
“It has become a familiar image,” according to the bank’s website, “making it a useful anti-forgery feature. People can detect changes in face images, especially well-known faces, many easier than in other types of patterns.It helps people to detect counterfeits with badly copied images.
The bank even kept the same portrait when it started printing banknotes on polymer instead of paper in 2016.
The central bank announced plans in June to withdraw paper banknotes worth £14.5 billion from circulation in the transition to polymer banknotes. These measures have made Britain the largest economy in the world to use plastic banknotes, The Washington Post reported at the time. Polymer banknotes are not only easier to clean than paper, but also harder to counterfeit.
The Bank of England announcement that new polymer banknotes featuring the king will be printed in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds.
Perhaps seeking to avoid criticism from his mother for previous banknote portraits, the image unveiled on Tuesday shows the uncrowned king.
Portraits of English monarchs have appeared on coins for much longer than on banknotes.
The first English king depicted on a coin wearing a crown or circlet was Athelstan, who died in 939, according to the royal house website.
The portrayal of a monarch on the money meant a lot more before the ubiquitous tabloids covered every move and statement of the royal family.
“For many people, the king’s image on coins was the only likeness of the monarch they were likely to see in their lifetime,” according to the royal website.
The Royal Mint in December. 8 handed over 4.9million 50p coins bearing the King’s likeness to post offices, according to a Royal Mint press release – about half of the 9.6 million coins they expect to mint with the face of the king.
He is facing left in his coin portrait, which is on purpose.
According to royal house website: “From the time of Charles II a tradition developed whereby monarchs are depicted on coinage facing the opposite direction to their immediate predecessor.”
The Queen’s face features on 27 billion coins in circulation in the UK, according to the Mint.
0 Comments