Royal Mint to release commemorative King Charles III coronation coins April 24

On Monday, April 24, the Royal Mint will release a collection of coins to mark the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. Image courtesy of the Royal Mint and © the Royal Mint

LLANTRISANT, Wales – The Royal Mint, the official maker of UK coins, has unveiled a range of commemorative coins to celebrate the upcoming coronation, including a 50-pence and a £5 coin. The commemorative coronation coin range features a crowned effigy of King Charles III designed by artist and sculptor Martin Jennings – the first crowned effigy of the new British monarch to feature on a coin. The effigy of King Charles III for non-commemorative coins was unveiled following his accession late last year and in line with tradition, the king is shown not wearing regalia.

The new, crowned coin effigy has been created specifically for the coronation, ahead of the historic event on Saturday, May 6, and will feature on the commemorative range produced by the Royal Mint to mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The crowned effigy is reserved specifically for collectible, commemorative coins and will be reserved for very special collections moving forwards.

The portrait features the Tudor crown, which was personally selected by King Charles III for the portrait. Although the Tudor crown was destroyed in the 1640s, it is still used heraldically and has been used on previous crowned portraits of kings from the 20th century. The Tudor crown also features on the new king’s cypher.

Each of the coronation coins features an image of a crowned King Charles III on the obverse. Image courtesy of the Royal Mint and © the Royal Mint

Martin Jennings said: “Following my work on the uncrowned coin effigy of His Majesty, I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work on a crowned version for the coronation range. Each detail of the crown has to be scrupulously correct so it has taken considerable work to get it right. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to realize a design that is both dignified and celebratory for this historic occasion.”

The new, highly collectable 50p featuring the iconic Westminster Abbey was designed by Royal Mint designer Natasha Jenkins. Natasha has worked for the Royal Mint for nearly seven years, and this is the third time one of her designs has been selected for use on a UK coin.

Product Designer at the Royal Mint Natasha Jenkins said: “I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to work on this project. I was inspired to feature Westminster Abbey as it plays such an iconic role in the coronation, so I chose to opt for a stylized line drawing of Westminster Abbey that is instantly recognizable with Britain, along with King Charles’ cypher and crown to mark him being crowned as king.

I am always aware of finishing touches during the design stage. This is why I chose a linear design, as I knew the negative areas of the design would be polished, and the relief areas would be frosted. This will give the coin a lot of opportunity for light play.”

In the future I will be able to look back and show my children this coin that I designed for the coronation and feel proud.”

Five million 50ps are set to enter circulation in the UK later in 2023 featuring the original, uncrowned effigy of King Charles III by Martin Jennings. This follows the five million memorial 50ps that have already entered circulation – the first circulating coinage of the new monarch, which will co-circulate along with that of Queen Elizabeth II.

The £5 coin is the one among the group of coronation coins that gives the date of the event: May 6, 2023. Image courtesy of the Royal Mint and © the Royal Mint

The coronation range also includes a £5 coin featuring the crowned coinage portrait of King Charles III on the obverse and a beautiful design by Timothy Noad on the reverse, featuring the St Edward’s Crown.

The range also features a number of ounce coins that are available in several editions and sizes, each featuring the crowned coinage portrait of the new king on the obverse and a beautiful design by John Bergdahl on the reverse.

The coronation coins will go on sale at 9 am UK time on Monday, April 24. For more information about the range, visit the Royal Mint’s website at royalmint.com.