The artist behind the first coins to be minted featuring a portrait of the King has revealed the inspiration for his design. Martin Jennings spent over a year working on the portrait of Charles, alongside experts from the Royal Mint.
He used portraits taken of Charles to mark his 70th birthday in 2018 to create the image of the King. He then chose the typeface and layout of the inscription with designers at the official coin maker in Llantrisant, south Wales.
Mr Jennings said he used near century-old coins featuring previous kings - who traditionally appear uncrowned - as a reference point. “I was inspired by effigies of George VI and Edward VIII from the 1930s,” he told the PA news agency.
