The Royal Mint today unveiled a range of commemorative coins to celebrate the upcoming Coronation, including both 50-pence and £5 coins.
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 king on a coin. The effigy of King Charles III — shown not wearing regalia — for non-commemorative coins was unveiled following his accession after Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022.
The commemorative coronation coin range features a crowned effigy of King Charles III on the obverse (left).
The newly crowned coin effigy was created for the Coronation on May 6. The crowned effigy is reserved specifically for collectable, commemorative coins and will be reserved for very special collections moving forward, the Mint stated in a release.
The portrait features the Tudor Crown, which the King personally selected for his 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 King’s cypher.
“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,” designer Jennings said. “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 50-pence coin commemorates the coronation of King Charles III this May 6.
The new 50p featuring the iconic Westminster Abbey has been designed by Royal Mint designer Natasha Jenkins, who has worked for the mnt for seven years. This is the third time one of her designs has been selected for use on a UK coin.
“I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to work on this project,” Jennings said. “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.”
Five million 50ps will enter circulation later in 2023 featuring the original, uncrowned effigy of King Charles by Jennings. This follows the five million memorial 50ps that have already entered circulation – the first circulating coinage of the new monarch that will co-circulate along with that of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Coronation range also includes a £5 coin featuring the crowned coinage portrait on the obverse and a design by Timothy Noad on the reverse, featuring the Tudor Crown. The range also features several-ounce coins in several editions and sizes, each featuring the crowned coinage portrait of His Majesty on the obverse and a beautiful design by John Bergdahl on the reverse.
The commemorative coins will go on sale at 9 a.m. (U.K. time) on April 24. For more information about the range, visit The Royal Mint’s website.