General info
King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5
2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.
To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.
In case you missed it…
You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.
A passion for nature
Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.
It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.
He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.
A closer look
As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.
On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.
New UK Coinage for King Charles III
The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>
Upcoming King Charles III Coins! What we know so far…
The collecting community has been abuzz with excitement for new King Charles III coins, especially since the UK’s new circulating coinage set was released in October 2023.
And so I’m delighted to give you all the updates we know so far about future King Charles III commemorative coins to look forward to.
Read on to find out what’s on the horizon from the UK’s latest Royal Proclamations and get ready to add these upcoming coins to your collecting wish list!
Upcoming 50p Releases
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is arguably one of the most loved characters in British literature, and we’ll soon see her celebrated on a UK coin.
Image Credit: Disney trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The 50p will feature a depiction of the character Mary Poppins with an umbrella and carpet bag accompanied by the inscription “MARY POPPINS”.
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 coin will feature a depiction of three military medals accompanied by the inscription “STORIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR”.
Red Arrows
Formally known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows are one of the world’s top aerobatic display teams.
Renowned for their speed, agility and trademark Diamond Nine shape formation, the team have been displaying since 1965 and will soon feature for the first time on a UK 50p coin.
The upcoming 50p is set to feature a depiction of three Red Arrow aircraft with their signature smoke trails, with the inscription “RED ARROWS”.
This is certainly a release collectors and Red Arrow fans alike will be looking forward to!
Upcoming £5 Releases
Paul McCartney
The next coin in The Royal Mint’s Music Legends series will feature none other than The Beatles icon, Paul McCartney.
Image Credit: Oli Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The £5 coin will feature a depiction of a guitar head and piano keys with Paul McCartney’s signature and the inscription “MCCARTNEY”.
Queen Mother
in 2025, The Royal Mint will be issuing a £5 coin celebrating the life of The Queen Mother, 125 years after her birth.
Image Credit: Helmholtz19 via Wikimedia Commons
The reverse design of the coin will feature 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, accompanied by the inscription “QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER”.
Greyhound of Richmond
We can expect to see a new Royal Tudor Beasts £5 coin, the 8th in the series. The series celebrates the ten heraldic beasts that stand guard on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, representing the royal lineage of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
The latest addition to the series will feature the White Greyhound of Richmond, which was inherited by Queen Elizabeth I from Henry IV through his father, the Earl of Richmond.
Image Credit: Man vyi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We know that the coin will feature a depiction of the Greyhound of Richmond accompanied by the inscription “· GREYHOUND OF RICHMOND ·”.
Upcoming £2 Releases
HMS Belfast £2
It was recently announced that a new UK £2 coin will be issued celebrating the former Royal Navy ship – HMS Belfast! Here’s what we know so far…
The coin will feature a depiction of HMS Belfast accompanied by the inscription “HMS BELFAST”. There will be an edge inscription “· PRO · TANTO · QVID · RETRIBVAMVS”.
Image Credit: George Rex from London, England, via Wikimedia Commons
This will be only the second £2 coin to be individually issued in 2024, as the Winston Churchill £2 in the 2024 Annual Coin Set was not individually released.
You can sign up for updates about this upcoming coin to be the first to know when you can get your hands on it.
George Orwell
Looking ahead into 2025, we know of three more £2 coins due to be released next year, the first of which will celebrate the life and work of British novelist and poet, George Orwell. The Royal Proclamation from October 2024 states that the coin will feature:
- A depiction of an eye in reference to big brother from the novel 1984 accompanied by the inscriptions “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” and “GEORGE ORWELL”. The coins shall have a grained edge and in incuse letters the inscription “· THERE WAS TRUTH AND THERE WAS UNTRUTH”.
Image Credit: Branch of the National Union of Journalists (BNUJ)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
First Passenger Steam Journey
The second £2 coin we know about will commemorate the first passenger steam train journey on Locomotion No. 1. Here’s what we know about what it’ll feature according to the latest Royal Proclamation:
- A depiction of a steam train with passengers accompanied by the inscriptions “THE JOURNEY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD” and “1825-2025”. The coins shall have a plain or milled edge and in incuse letters the inscription “· ACTIVE · LOCOMOTION NO 1”.
Image from “Locomotives of the Stockton and Darlington Railway”. The Engineer: 218, via Wikimedia Commons
Royal Observatory Greenwich
The final 2025 £2 coin that’s been announced will celebrate 350 years of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The proclamation said the coin will feature:
- A depiction of a globe symbolising travel, the Shepherd’s Gate Clock and the constellation Ursa Minor accompanied by the inscriptions “· THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY · GREENWICH ·” and “1675 2025”. The coins shall have a plain or milled edge and in incuse letters the inscription “· PERFECTING THE ART OF NAVIGATION”.’
Image Credit: Josh268950, via Wikimedia Commons
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!
The Snowman™ dances onto NEW 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 brand new 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 in time for Christmas 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 this new coin 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 last year’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 very latest UK release, with James and his snowy friend dancing below the famous Northern Lights – a design sure to melt the heart of any collector this Christmas.
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!
And if you’re still looking for that perfect numismatic gift this Christmas, or perhaps just a treat for yourself, look no further than the Change Checker Christmas range >>
Own your 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p in time for Christmas
You can bet this latest coin will be at the top of every collector’s wish list this year, so whether you’re a collector of the Snowman™ 50ps yourself, or you think it’d make the perfect gift for a loved one, you can secure the 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p for just £4.99 (+p&p) here >>