Posts by Rachel
Upcoming King Charles III Coins! What we know so far…
Since the release of the New UK Coinage for King Charles III in October 2023, collectors have been eagerly awaiting new UK issues featuring His Majesty.
And so I’m delighted to tell you everything we know so far about the King Charles III commemorative coins we have to look forward to, according to the UK’s latest Royal Proclamations.
Upcoming 50p Releases
Harry Potter 50p
Following the extremely popular 4-coin Harry Potter 50p series and the subsequent Winged Keys and Black Lake 50ps, we can expect to see another 50p issued to celebrate the Wizarding World.
Image Credit: Karen Roe from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK, via Wikimedia Commons
What we know so far is that the latest Harry Potter 50p will feature:
(a) a depiction of a flying car accompanied by the inscription “THE FLYING CAR”; or
(b) a depiction of Harry Potter casting a spell accompanied by the inscription
“EXPECTO PATRONUM”
Stories of the Second World War
Some of the most popular UK coins have been those linked to a military anniversaries such as D-Day, the Battle of Britain and the first and second World Wars. We can expect to see a new military themed coin, this one commemorating stories of the Second World War. The medals featured on the coin include the 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal and War Medal, representing the countless unique experiences of the Second World War.
This coin was issued as part of the 2025 Annual Coin Set, but will be individually issued later in 2025. Can’t wait? Secure it now in the 2025 Annual Set >>
Upcoming £5 Releases
John Lennon
The next icon to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Music Legends series is none other than The Beatles superstar, John Lennon. This follows the 2024 Paul McCartney £5 that was issued in December 2024.
Image Credit: Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What we know so far is that the coin will feature a depiction of John Lennon accompanied by the inscriptions “JOHN LENNON” and “IMAGINE”.
Queen Mother
Another coin that we saw in the 2025 Annual Coin Set is the Queen Mother £5, issued to mark 125 since her birth. The reverse design of the coin features a depiction of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, the garter star and Queen Elizabeth’s cypher, surrounded by a Scottish Thistle and an English Rose.
Unlike the other coins in the 2025 Annual Set, this coin will not be individually issued and so the only way to get your hands on it is in the 2025 Annual Coin Set.
Upcoming £2 Releases
RSS Discovery
Following the popularity of the 2025 HMS Belfast £2, The Royal Mint are releasing a new £2 coin celebrating another iconic vessel.
Image Credit: Ed Marin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Here’s what we know from the latest Royal Proclamation:
‘for the reverse, a depiction of RRS Discovery with a whale tail and two penguins accompanied by the inscription “RRS DISCOVERY”. The coins shall have a plain or a milled edge and in incuse letters the inscription “· DESIGNED FOR ADVENTURE”.’
First Passenger Steam Journey
Both of the £2 coins that featured in the 2025 Annual Coin Set will be individually issued later in the year. The first commemorates the first passenger steam train journey on Locomotion No. 1.
The design captures the ground breaking moment in 1825, with a design featuring Locomotion Number 1 in action, packed with excited passengers and the inscription ‘The Journey that changed the world’, along with the years 1825-2025.
Royal Observatory Greenwich
The second £2 coin from the 2025 Annual Set celebrates 350 years of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
The reverse design features the Shepherd Gate Clock, the constellation Ursa Minor, the star Polaris and the meridian line in front of a globe. The coin also includes the edge inscription ‘PERFECTING THE ART OF NAVIGATION’, taken from the Observatory’s founding Royal Warrant.
Never miss a future UK coin issue!
With such exciting releases on the horizon, you really won’t want to miss out on these incredible new coins. So why not take away the worry and guarantee yourself every new UK coin issue, without the hassle of placing orders on launch day?
Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and be one of the first to receive new UK coins as soon as they are released! Plus, save £3 on new UK 50p issues with the special subscription price of £5.99 (+p&p).
The Snowman™ dances onto a 2023 UK 50p!
It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until the new UK The Snowman™ 50p is released!
You could even say it’s become a festive tradition that each year, the beloved Snowman™ features on a new UK 50p. And luckily for collectors, 2023 is no exception…
In fact, this year’s coin is sure to have collectors dancing for joy. That’s because The Snowman™ has danced his way onto a UK 50p in a magical scene set against a backdrop of the Northern Lights.
Available now in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, you can add this frosty friend to your 50p collection here >>
The Story of The Snowman™ on Coins!
The Snowman™ first appeared on a UK 50p back in 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale. Since then, we’ve seen a Snowman™ 50p issued each year, making the 2023 Snowman™ 50p the 6th release in the series – and the first to feature King Charles III on the obverse.
Over the years, we’ve been treated to some of the most iconic scenes on our coins, taken from the original tale and even the 2012 film, The Snowman™ and The Snowdog™. The Snowman™ and the young boy, James have previously been seen sharing adventures and flying through the night sky, but 2022’s 50p was a little different, as the adorable Snowdog™ joined the frosty fellow for the very first time!
Unsurprisingly, the Snowman™ coins prove to be some of the most popular releases each year and now only the 2022 coin is still available at the mint.
But it’s not just UK collectors who are treated to coins featuring the Snowman™…
Over the years, The Snowman has featured on a number of different 50ps from The Isle of Man, some of which are incredibly sought after.
One such coin from 2003 featuring James and The Snowman™ sold for over £250 on the secondary market in 2019 – not a bad return on a 50p coin!
Now collectors have the chance to own the 2023 Snowman™ Coin, with James and his snowy friend dancing below the famous Northern Lights – a design sure to melt the heart of any collector.
The scene perfectly captures the magic of the heartwarming story, which is read by so many people every year. Just like the tale of The Snowman™, these new 50ps have also become a Christmas tradition, so if you weren’t starting to feel festive already, you should be now!
Own your 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p
Demand Surges for King Charles III Coin Sets
It’s an exciting time in the collecting world, with many ‘firsts’ to look forward to as we enter a new era of King Charles III coinage.
From the first ever King Charles III portrait featuring on our coins, to the UK’s first ever Coronation 50p, there’s already been some remarkable milestones celebrated on the coins you can find in your change.
These issues will undoubtedly become increasingly sought-after in years to come. But demand for King Charles III coins is already proving to be high!
In August, the Isle of Man released the FIRST King Charles III Decimal Coin Set – including all seven of their decimal coins, which lucky islanders will be able to find in their change.
Isle of Man Manx Wildlife Set
I knew these coins would be popular, but I was shocked at just how quickly we sold through our allocation… In fact, all our stocks had completely sold out in just a few days!
Popularity for the first full King Charles III coin set has certainly got us thinking about what could lie ahead for UK coins and just how high the demand might be when we start to see more King Charles coins released.
So far, the 2022 Memoriam 50p and 2023 Coronation 50p have found their way into our change and we released collector maps for both so that Change Checkers can track where across the country these coins are being found.
If you’re lucky enough to have found the new Coronation 50p in your change, make sure you add it to our map here >>
In the meantime, I (like many other collectors) am eagerly awaiting the chance to find more King Charles III coins in my change and build up a new collection.
For almost 70 years, our definitive and commemorative coins have featured the Queen’s portrait, but with a new era of King Charles III coinage upon us, the collecting race begins once again!
Own the Queen Elizabeth II LAST Definitive Coin Set
2022 marked the final year of Her Majesty’s reign and, as such, these 2022 dated definitives coins were the last ever to be issued with the Queen’s portrait on the obverse.