A nine-piece lot of photographs depicting Queen Elizabeth II crossed the auction block in the United Kingdom this April.
Originally produced for the Bank of Canada, the photographs served as the basis for the Queen’s portrait on the $1, $2 and $20 banknotes from the “Scenes of Canada” series, which circulated from 1969-79. Each of the nine black-and-white prints – taken by royal photographer Anthony Buckley in 1963 – show the Queen wearing her a tiara with matching earrings and a necklace.
The final banknote design, however, removed the Queen’s tiara while the square neckline of her dress was also altered to an over-the-shoulder gown.
Offered by England auctioneer William George & Co., the photos each measure about 26 centimetres in height and 20 centimetres in width. The lot carried a pre-sale estimate of £5,000 and sold to a woman in Florida for £13,000 (plus £3,502 in buyer’s premiums and fees).