Information about effigy: King George VI - Bare Head, by Thomas Humphrey Paget

This effigy shows the uncrowned portrait of King George VI facing left. It was designed by Thomas Humphrey Paget (rendered more often as just Humphrey Paget).

Thomas Humphrey Paget OBE (13 August 1893 - May 1974) was an English medal and coin designer and modeller. Paget's designs are indicated by the initials HP - in this case, in small letters under the King's neck.

Paget was first approached by the Royal Mint in 1936 after the accession of King Edward VIII. Paget's recommendation had come via his earlier design for the obverse of a medal featuring the then-Prince of Wales. After some controversy regarding the direction the monarch was to face on the coinage (it had been tradition for each successive monarch to face in the opposite direction to the predecessor; Edward felt that the features of his left were better than his right), Paget's work was approved in two slightly differing designs: one for silver and another for non-silver. However Edward's abdication meant that, apart from a few trial dies, Paget's designs never reached the minting stage.

A measure of the success of the Edward portrait can be seen in the fact that Paget alone was commissioned to design King George VI's effigy in 1937. He is the only artist to have a second obverse design approved for use in sterling coinage in the 20th century. The portrait of King George VI has since been described as "the classic coinage head of the 20th century".

This effigy was used on Imperial coinage (the United Kingdom) and some of the dominions. Some colonies used the crowned portrait of King George IV by Percy Metcalfe instead.

King George VI on gold coinage

United Kingdom / Sovereign 1937 (Proof only)

The uncrowned effigy of King George VI on a gold coin from the Coronation proof set. It is combined with a Latin legend.