Mary Gillick

Mary Gaskell Gillick OBE ( 1881 – 27 January 1965) was a sculptor and medallist, best known for her effigy of Elizabeth II used on coinage in the United Kingdom and elsewhere from 1953 to 1970.

Born Mary Gaskell Tutin in Nottingham and was educated at the Nottingham School (1898–1902) and at the Royal College of Art (1902–1904), where she studied under the sculptor     Edouard Lanteri

After making her first exhibition at the Royal Academy  in 1911, she designed several medals to be used as awards, and several other, larger relief sculptures in stone and bronze including the stone commemorative sculpture, Crosby Hall, Chelsea 1926

In 1905, she married sculptor Ernest Gillick. 

In 1952, Gillick's effigy design was selected from a field of seventeen to be used on general-circulation coinage for the new Queen Elizabeth, first issued in 1953. Gillick worked on the portrait between March and October 1952, with one sitting and close supervision by the Duke of Edinburgh. Gillick's design was notable for portraying the Queen uncrowned, and was the last to be used on the pre-decimal coinage.

A cameo of Gillick's effigy of the Queen has been used on British Commemorative stamps from 1966 to 9 March 2023 the original effigy was also used for Maundy money until the Queen's death in 2022.