The fifth portrait of Elizabeth II — by Jody Clark, introduced in 2015 — was the first to be selected through an internal Royal Mint process rather than by open competition or direct commission, breaking with the rotation convention that had governed British coinage portraits for decades. The 2020 two-ounce Britannia gold issue falls within a series that has used the .9999 fineness standard since 2013, when the Royal Mint upgraded from the earlier .9167 specification to compete more directly with the Canadian Maple Leaf and Australian Bullion programs in the fine gold market.
The fifth portrait of Elizabeth II — by Jody Clark, introduced in 2015 — was the first to be selected through an internal Royal Mint process rather than by open competition or direct commission, breaking with the rotation convention that had governed British coinage portraits for decades. The 2020 two-ounce Britannia gold issue falls within a series that has used the .9999 fineness standard since 2013, when the Royal Mint upgraded from the earlier .9167 specification to compete more directly with the Canadian Maple Leaf and Australian Bullion programs in the fine gold market.