The images, taken by court photographer Anthony Buckley (1912-93), capture the monarch aged 37 in a variety of different poses. Once approved, they were presented to the Security Printers and the Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations, which distributed images of the monarch for use in bank notes, coins and postage stamps across the British Commonwealth.
The photographs were later adopted into the design of Canadian currency.
It is rare that royal photography used for official purposes comes on the market. A set of these 1963 photographs, which each measure 8 x 10in (20 x 25cm), was donated to the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Anthony Buckley archive in 1995.
This second set was offered by online auction house William George on behalf of a private collector in Peterborough.
Guided at £5000-8000, they sold at £13,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) on a sale that closed on April 23.
