The first official coin portrait of King Charles III which has been designed by Martin Jennings FRSS and personally approved by His Majesty. As with previous British kings, and unlike the Queen, he wears no crown.
The first coins to feature the effigy are part of a memorial collection for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II which will be released on 3 October. Royal Mint are also delighted to announce that the 50p will be entering circulation in the coming months.
Anne Jessopp, chief executive of The Royal Mint, said that coins generally lasted for 20 years, so both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles coins will be in circulation together for many years to come.
From the start of next year, coins from the 1p to the £2, which we use in day-to-day life, will be minted carrying the same image of King Charles. They will be sent out when needed to replace damaged and worn older coins and to cover any extra demand.
King Charles’s portrait is the first coin design undertaken by Martin Jennings, but his public sculptures include poets John Betjeman, in St Pancras Station in London, and Philip Larkin in Hull.
He used photographs to come up with the design, rather than the King sitting for a specific portrait.
