Arnold Machin OBE, RA, was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1911. During his teenage years he became an apprentice china painter at the Mintern Pottery. While working there he attended the Art school where he learnt to paint and sculpt. He was so successful that he won himself a place at the Royal Academy in London and moved to Derby. He continued his sculpting and was an expert in the field. In 1946 he was appointed as an associate member of the Royal Academy. Between 1959 to 1966 he held the position of The Royal Academy Master of Sculpture, a very prestigious position, and to this day is still the longest serving member. He was elected an Academician in 1956 and a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. In 1951 he then became a teacher at the Royal College of Art, where he gained notoriety as one of the best sculptors of his generation.

In 1964 he was approached to design a new portrait of the Queen, replacing Dorothy Wildings earlier design, which was to be used for the new decimal coinage, scheduled to be issued from 1968. After man trials the Queen approved Machin’s design in 1966, and it was decided that the design was to be used on Postage stamps as well as coins.

The design was first issued on the 5th June 1967 and has appeared on every British definitive issue since. It is believed that the design is the most reproduced work of art in history, and according to a recent document, is estimated to have been printed over 320 billion times!

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