Established in 1922 with the personal approval of King George V, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee was initially charged with the responsibility of raising the standard of numismatic art in the United Kingdom.

Today the Committee still plays a central role in the design of United Kingdom coins.  In fact,  each and every one of the 4,000 designs was examined by the Committee before its preferred design was recommended to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his capacity as Master of the Mint and finally approved by Her Majesty The Queen. Through a process of short listing and many revisions, a series by a designer previously unknown to the Royal Mint was ultimately selected and given royal approval.