UK Will Distribute New Coins Featuring King Charles in December

VIVA – UK people will begin to see King Charles' portrait in their change from around December, as 50-pence coins depicting him gradually enter circulation. As quoted from the People site on Monday, October 31, 2022, the first coin to feature the face of King Charles III is currently being produced by the Royal Mint in Wales, slowly replacing the coin that currently includes the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

On the other side of the coin is a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the design of which originally appeared on her 1953 Coronation Crown. It includes four quarters of the Royal Arms depicted on the shield, between which each shield bears the coat of arms of the nations of England: rose, thistle, shamrock, and a leek.

"The first coins bearing His Majesty King Charles III's portrait are striking as we speak, and you can expect to see 50ps featuring the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial design on the reverse side of the coins in your change before Christmas," the Royal Mint captioned a video of the coins being produced.

"Today is a significant event because we're changing that monarch for the first time in 70 years. Today, we're striking the first coins of King Charles III," Rebecca Morgan of the Royal Mint said in the video shared on social media.

It is known, the Royal Mint said there would be 9.6 million of the coins going into circulation in a nod to Queen Elizabeth, who died at 96, on Sept 9, 2022.

While Queen Elizabeth faced right, her heir will face the opposite direction on the money.

"He is in this instance looking to the left, his mother looked to the right. Every monarch will be looking in opposite directions to their predecessor," a designer, Martin Jennings, explained of a tradition dating back to the 1660s.

Just last month, the Royal Mint unveiled Charles’ coin collection, which also salutes his mother. King Charles "personally approved" the collection coins, The Royal Mint said.

"It is the smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and held by people around the world for centuries to come," Jennings said, adding that the sculpture was created after a photo of Charles, according to the Associated Press.