A Camberley artist has produced what is surely the crowning glory of his illustrious career.

Quentin Devine was commissioned by the Royal Mint to create a unique coin portrait to celebrate Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history on Wednesday (September 9).

The portrait measures six feet by seven feet and is made up of 1,952 penny coins.

"I was very pleased to be asked to produce this piece," said Mr Devine. "I had made coin art in the past, but not to this scale.

"Initially I was asked to use many more coins but after I made a few calculations I recommended using 1,952 to represent the year she became Queen and to keep the artwork more manageable and the Royal Mint liked the idea.

"It took me just under a week to make.

"I had to cut the wood to size, then give it three coats of paint, which gave me time to plan.

"Copper coins come in a variety of colours and I had to work out how many of each tone I would need.

"It took about three-and-a-half days to glue the coins down. It was a slow process, as I had to be very precise.

"I'm so pleased at how it turned out and it was an honour to work with such an established organisation.

"The Royal Mint actually told me they were delighted with the final 'masterpiece'."

The artwork will be displayed at the Royal Mint's new visitor centre in Llantrisant, South Wales, which will be opening in 2016.

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