An engraver who lived in Manchester will be the last person ever to have designed the coin portrait of Elizabeth II to feature on British coins.
Jody Clark, 41, who studied illustration at The University of Central Lancashire and formerly lived in Chorlton, was working at The Royal Mint when a competition to design the new portrait was opened up both internally and to select external applicants - something Jody says happened around every 15 years.
His anonymous submission to the design competition in 2015 was the one chosen to become the fifth definitive coin portrait of Elizabeth II to feature on British coins. Jody was the first employee of the Royal Mint in over one hundred years to have designed such a portrait of the monarch.
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At the age of 33 when his design was chosen, Jody was younger than any of the other four designers who had created portraits of Elizabeth II for British coinage at the time their design was chosen.
Production of coins featuring dad-of-two Jody's design began on 2 March 2015, and they appeared in circulation later in 2015. Jody, who has a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter has since left The Royal Mint and works for The Commonwealth Mint in Cardiff, where he still works on images and sculptures of The Queen.
A mixture of traditional and digital design skills were used for the coin design and Jody, who is originally from Cumbria, says he utilised digital sculpting to refine the coin and 3D modelling to create the bas-relief coin design. Unlike some of his predecessors , he did not have a sitting with the Queen.
He says he doesn't know now what will happen with regards to UK coins, now that The Queen has died, but his will be the last design of Her Majesty to have been used.
Jody, who lives with partner Carly Unsworth and their two children, said: "I feel lucky to have won the competition and for my design to have been used. I don't know what will happen now but it was never going to be forever. I am glad my design has been used.
"My family were all very pleased when I won the competition. It's unique to think people around the country have touched my design and coins and stamps are a way people interact with The Queen."
Click here to visit his website.
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