Advisory Committee

Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the design of coins, Medals, seals and decorations

The Royal Mint Advisory Committee plays a central role in the design of United Kingdom coins. For any new coin the Royal Mint normally organises a competition which may be either open to the public or limited to a number of specialist artists. The entries to the competitions are submitted to the Committee, which recommends its preferred design to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his capacity as Master of the Mint. Formal approval of all new coin designs is granted by Her Majesty the Queen. The Committee also judges and recommends designs for new official medals, seals and decorations.

The Committee was established with the personal approval of King George V in 1922 and it is currently classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body. Its original purpose was to raise the standard of numismatic art in the United Kingdom and this remains its primary concern. The current Chairman of the Committee is Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chairman of the Arts Council England. Although the number of members of the Committee has varied over time, in recent years there have usually been about a dozen.

Appointments are approved by the Queen on the recommendation of the Chancellor, and the appointment process conforms to the guidelines set out by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Committee members are appointed for seven-year terms, with the option of extending membership for a further three years. They are unpaid but may if they wish claim expenses for attendance at meetings. The Committee meets in London, usually two or three times a year.

Recruitment to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee is regulated by the
Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment