Mary Gillick NGC Graded Sovereigns

The Legacy of Mary Gillick

Born in Nottingham in 1881, Mary Gillick, designer of Queen Elizabeth II first portrait, studied at the city’s High School for Girls from 1890 to 1898, progressing to the art school until 1902 and perfected her craft as a scholar under Lanteri at the Royal College of Art from 1902 to 1904. 

Competing against 16 other artists, the elegance of Gillick’s design earned the portrait a place on the reverse of all UK coinage from 1953 to 1967, with the approachable nature of the monarch’s depiction absent of a crown being hailed as innovative and fresh by The Royal Mint Advisory Committee.  

Who are NGC?

NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) is a prominent coin grading company renowned for evaluating and authenticating coins. Their expertise adds credibility and value to numismatic collections, providing assurance to collectors and investors worldwide.

What is the Sheldon Grading Scale?

This scale allows numismatists to grade coins on a number from 1 (denoting poor quality) to 70 (proof like). Coins with imperfections cannot be assigned a number but a "details" grade. Coins with imperfections cannot be assigned a number but a "details" grade. For those that qualify the number has a prefix as follows: A "+" means the coin is close to being in the grade above whilst a "★" is given for eye-appeal.