Queen Elizabeth II Banknotes: The World's Most Portrayed Monarch
No face has appeared on more of the world's money. From an eight-year-old princess on a 1935 Canadian note to the final polymer issues of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II's portrait spans nine decades of banknotes — and since 2022, that collecting field is complete.
At least 33 currencies 1935 to 2022, nine decades A finished collecting field Canada, Britain & the Commonwealth
Last updated: August 2026
Queen Elizabeth II appeared on at least 33 different currencies, more than any other monarch in history, a record noted by Guinness World Records. Her banknote story began before her reign did — she was portrayed as an eight-year-old princess on the Bank of Canada's first note series in 1935 — and it closed with her death in September 2022, when the world's most portrayed monarch became, for collectors, a completed theme. This page maps the portraits, the issuing territories, and how to build a Queen Elizabeth II collection now that the field is finite.
How many currencies featured Queen Elizabeth II?
At least 33, more than any other monarch, an achievement recognized by Guinness World Records. The list runs from the great Commonwealth realms — the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — through Caribbean and Pacific issuers like Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, and the Eastern Caribbean States, to territories as small as Saint Helena. Because each issuer commissioned its own engravings across her seventy-year reign, the same woman appears as a child, a young queen in coronation regalia, a working monarch in middle age, and finally as the silver-haired figure of the polymer era.
That breadth is exactly what makes the theme collectible. A Queen Elizabeth II collection is really a collection of collections: one portrait traced across dozens of countries, decades, printers, and engraving styles, with every note telling you where and when it was made by how it chooses to show her.
What was the first banknote to show Queen Elizabeth II?
The Bank of Canada got there first — seventeen years before she took the throne. When the Bank opened for business on March 11, 1935 and issued its first note series the same day, the $20 note carried a portrait of Princess Elizabeth, then eight years old, engraved by Edwin Gunn of the American Bank Note Company from a 1934 photograph by society photographer Marcus Adams, per the Bank of Canada Museum. Collectors sometimes call it the "Shirley Temple" portrait for the resemblance of her curls to the child film star's. It remains the only banknote portrait of her as a child.
Her own Bank of England had to wait until 1960, when the Series C one pound note became the first British note to carry the reigning monarch's portrait, engraved by designer Robert Austin and showing the Queen in the Diamond Diadem, as recorded by the Bank of England Museum. Contemporary critics found the likeness severe, but the note made her the first monarch ever depicted on Bank of England currency — every British note since has followed.
Which Queen Elizabeth II portraits do collectors look for?
The reign breaks into recognizable portrait eras, and seasoned collectors read them at a glance. One of the most beloved is the Annigoni: Pietro Annigoni's 1955 portrait of the young Queen in Garter robes was adapted into two banknote engravings — one by Bradbury Wilkinson used on notes of the Isle of Man, Malta, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Seychelles, and one by De La Rue that appeared on notes of Fiji, the East Caribbean States, Jersey, and Mauritius between 1963 and 1979, per De La Rue, the printer that produced many of them.
| Portrait era | Years | What collectors look for |
|---|---|---|
| The princess portrait | 1935 | The Bank of Canada $20 with the eight-year-old Elizabeth — the only child portrait, and the theme's founding note. |
| Early-reign engravings | 1952 to 1960s | Coronation-era portraits across the Commonwealth, including the 1960 Bank of England Series C one pound, the first British note to show its monarch. |
| The Annigoni adaptations | 1961 to 1979 | The Garter-robes image on notes from Malta and the Isle of Man to Fiji and the East Caribbean States — the reign's most romantic portrait. |
| Mature-reign portraits | 1970s to 1990s | Per-country engravings of the working monarch, such as the Bank of England Series D notes of the 1980s and their Commonwealth contemporaries. |
| Late-reign and polymer issues | 1990s to 2022 | The silver-haired portraits on modern paper and polymer, the notes that closed the series when the reign ended in September 2022. |
Which territories' Queen Elizabeth II notes are most collected?
Britain anchors the theme: a run of Bank of England portrait notes from the 1960 Series C through the final polymer issues traces the whole arc on a single issuer's paper, and our Great Britain banknotes hub covers that story in full. Canada bookends it, from the 1935 princess portrait to the $20 notes that still carry her today. Between those poles sit the Commonwealth issuers that give the theme its variety — Australia, Hong Kong, Bermuda, and the Caribbean and Pacific territories.
Planet Banknote's current Queen Elizabeth II shelf leans into that variety with certified sets: Belize 2 and 5 dollar notes from the 1996 to 2007 issues in PMG 65 and 66, Fiji 50 and 100 dollar notes of the same era in PMG 66, and Bank of England 5 pound notes of 1980 to 1991 in PMG 65 and 66 — three territories, one queen, every note independently graded Gem Uncirculated or better.
What happened to Queen Elizabeth II banknotes after 2022?
Her death on September 8, 2022 started the slowest changeover in modern currency. The Bank of England unveiled King Charles III notes and put them into circulation on June 5, 2024, printing them only to replace worn notes, so Queen Elizabeth II polymer notes continue to circulate alongside them. Other issuers move on their own schedules, and some of her notes, like Canada's $20 and the Eastern Caribbean dollar notes, remain in everyday use for now.
For collectors the meaning is simple: the Queen Elizabeth II banknote field is now closed. No new portraits will ever be added, the population of notes only shrinks as circulating examples wear out and are withdrawn, and the high-grade survivors — especially certified Uncirculated pieces — are the ones that will represent the reign from here on. Completed themes with a worldwide audience are rare in numismatics; this is the largest one there is.
How do you start collecting Queen Elizabeth II banknotes?
Pick an axis and follow it. The classic approaches: one portrait across many countries (the Annigoni is the favorite), one country across the whole reign (Britain or Canada work best), or one note from every decade of the reign, 1950s through 2010s. Because the theme spans dozens of issuers, a plan matters more here than in single-country collecting — our guide to collecting world banknotes covers how to set one.
Condition carries extra weight in a closed field, since the supply of crisp examples is fixed. Learn the 1 to 70 certification scale and what EPQ and PPQ mean in our banknote grading guide, and weigh slabs against raw notes with graded vs raw banknotes. For portrait notes bought for the portrait, certified examples make sense: the holder settles authenticity, and the grade preserves exactly what you paid for.
Where can you buy Queen Elizabeth II banknotes?
Buy from a source-first dealer that inspects every note and stands behind it in writing. Planet Banknote keeps a dedicated Queen Elizabeth II category stocked with certified notes rather than fixing a single market price, because inventory, territories, and grades change. Rather than quote figures that would go stale, we point you to the live category:
Every note Planet Banknote sells passes our Planet Banknote Verified inspection and ships with a free Certificate of Authenticity, so you have documented recourse tied to a named, reachable business. Questions about ordering, shipping, or returns are answered on our FAQ page.
Frequently asked questions
How many currencies featured Queen Elizabeth II?
At least 33 different currencies, more than any other monarch in history, an achievement noted by Guinness World Records. Issuers ranged from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, Hong Kong, and the Eastern Caribbean States, each commissioning its own portraits across her seventy-year reign.
What was the first banknote to show Queen Elizabeth II?
The Bank of Canada's 1935 $20 note, issued the day the Bank opened on March 11, 1935. It portrayed her as an eight-year-old princess, engraved from a 1934 Marcus Adams photograph, and it remains the only banknote portrait of her as a child. The first British note came much later: the Bank of England's Series C one pound of 1960, the first Bank of England note ever to carry the reigning monarch's portrait.
Are Queen Elizabeth II banknotes still in circulation?
Some are. The Bank of England's King Charles III notes entered circulation on June 5, 2024, but they are printed only to replace worn notes, so Queen Elizabeth II polymer notes continue to circulate alongside them, and notes such as Canada's $20 and the Eastern Caribbean dollar issues still carry her portrait in everyday use. Other issuers are retiring her notes on their own schedules.
Are Queen Elizabeth II banknotes a good collecting area?
Yes, and the case strengthened after 2022: with her reign ended, the field is complete, no new portraits will be added, and the supply of crisp examples is fixed. Collectors typically follow one axis, a single portrait like the Annigoni across many countries, one country across the whole reign, or one note per decade. Value depends on territory, portrait, condition, and demand, and certified Uncirculated examples are the pieces built to represent the reign long-term.
Why is the Annigoni portrait famous?
Pietro Annigoni's 1955 painting of the young Queen in Garter robes became the most romantic image of her reign, and two banknote engravings were adapted from it: a Bradbury Wilkinson version used by the Isle of Man, Malta, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Seychelles, and a De La Rue version used by Fiji, the East Caribbean States, Jersey, and Mauritius between 1963 and 1979. Notes carrying the Annigoni image are among the most sought-after of the whole theme.
Planet Banknote is a family-owned dealership in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 2021. Every note is sourced direct from mints, central banks, and authorized distributors, inspected through our Planet Banknote Verified process, and ships with a free Certificate of Authenticity. US orders ship free via USPS Priority, and every order includes a free bonus gift.