Canada’s King Charles III Coin Effigy Revealed!

More than a year after His Majesty King Charles III was officially proclaimed Head of State and Sovereign of Canada, The Royal Canadian Mint have announced the release of their official King Charles III coin effigy.

The official Canadian King Charles III effigy
Credit: Royal Canadian Mint

The news was shared on the 14th November – making for a wonderful birthday treat for His Majesty, who celebrated his 75th birthday that day.

SELL OUT Canada King Charles III 50 cent Coin Roll

The brand new Canadian effigy of His Majesty features on the 50 cent coin, which has been issued in a highly sought-after special collector’s edition Wrap Roll.

2023 Canada 50 cent Coin Roll
2023 Canada 50 cent Coin Roll

Each of the Wrap Rolls include 25 brand new 2023 dated Canada 50 cent coins, which feature a design of the Canadian Coat of Arms on the reverse and – for the first time in seventy years – a new monarch’s portrait on the obverse.

The first Canadian King Charles III effigy
The first Canadian King Charles III effigy

A Special Presentation

The coins are packaged in special, themed illustrated paper wrapping, featuring the official Royal Canadian Mint logo and a stylised band of Fleur-de-lis – a traditional Royal symbol of Canada.

Special edition themed wrapping
Special edition themed wrapping

You might not have heard of coin rolls before, but they’re a big deal across the pond, and a highly collectable way to own Canadian coins. Previously, Canadian coin rolls have proved incredibly popular with UK collectors, and we’ve even seen sell outs of our initial allocations of these rolls in the past.

2020 Canada Royal Arms 50p cent Roll
2020 Canada Royal Arms 50p cent Roll
2022 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian $2 Wrap Roll
2022 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian $2 Wrap Roll

A Canadian Collecting Frenzy

These Canadian 50 cent Coin Rolls are part of the first wave of Canadian coinage that features the new obverse of King Charles III, so it’s currently the only way to secure them for your collection. There were also only 25,000 rolls available worldwide – making them highly sought-after by collectors. So sought-after in fact, that they SOLD OUT at The Royal Canadian Mint within just four days!

We’ve been lucky enough to secure just 500 Canada 50 cent Wrap Rolls for UK collectors, and once they’re gone, they’re gone! So don’t miss out – add these coins to your collection now for just £29.99 (+£3.99 postage) >>


A Major Change for Canadian Coinage

During her incredible 70 year reign, there have been four different obverse portraits of Queen Elizabeth II used on Canadian coinage. The latest portrait change was in 2003 when Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Her Late Majesty made its way onto Canadian coins.

All four Canadian coin effigies for Queen Elizabeth II, from 1953 to 2023

Considering that the obverse of Canadian coinage hasn’t changed in over 20 years, and the fact that we haven’t seen a King on Canadian coins in 7 decades, the introduction of King Charles III’s effigy is sure to cause a stir in the coin collecting world.

The Process of Creating an Effigy

As you might imagine, there are a lot of steps behind the scenes that go into creating a new effigy…

Canada’s new coin effigy was created from Steven Rosati’s winning design, following an invitation to more than 350 artists and engravers.

Royal Canadian Mint President and CEO Marie Lemay and Canadian artist Steven Rosati unveiling the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III. Credit: Royal Canadian Mint Facebook

The process involved each artist/engraver submitting a portfolio of portrait work to be evaluated. These were then shortlisted before a brief outlining mandatory design requirements was given out.

An internal Mint review panel judged submissions based on aesthetics, technical requirements and mass-production suitability before the winning design was submitted for approval from the government and Buckingham Palace.

Once the design was ready, the Mint could begin the engraving and tooling process – producing dies to strike the coins.

Only 500 available for Change Checkers

Click here to secure your Canada King Charles III 50 cent Coin Roll >>

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.

2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 obverse and reverse
2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 obverse and reverse

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.

2023 Annual Coin Set
2023 Annual Coin 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.

King Charles 75th Birthday £5 in Change Checker card
King Charles 75th Birthday £5 in Change Checker card

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.

Hidden features within the design
Hidden features within the design

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.

New UK Coinage for King Charles III
New UK Coinage for King Charles III

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

Ice Age Giants

The Royal Mint’s Tales of the Earth collection will continues with coins commemorating Ice Age giants, depicting three of the most notable large mammals to exist during this period of history. Here’s what we know so far…

Coin 1 – Depiction of a steppe mammoth accompanied by the inscription “MAMMUTHUS STEPPE MAMMOTH”.
Coin 2 – Depiction of a woolly rhinoceros accompanied by the inscription “COELODONTA WOOLLY RHINOCEROS”.
Coin 3 – Depiction of a giant deer accompanied by the inscription “MEGALOCEROS GIANT DEER”.

Previously, the Tales of the Earth series has mainly featured pre-historic dinosaurs, including the Dinosauria collection, the Mary Anning collection and most recently, the Iconic Specimens collection.

The Iconic Specimens 50p Collection

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.

Mary Poppins
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 1994 D-Day 50p was voted Change Checkers’ all-time favourite 50p

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.

By Photo: Cpl Andy Benson/MOD, OGL v1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26922143

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.

Sir 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”.

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.

The Greyhound 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 ·”.

Decades of Bond £5 Series

We’re 1 coin away from completing the Decades of Bond £5 coin series, with the final coin still to be released. Each coin in this series celebrates a decade of James Bond films, with iconic imagery from the movies and the film titles from each era repeated in the background.

So far, we’ve seen coins celebrating Bond films of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and 2010s.

When you consider the huge popularity of the ‘B’ A-Z 10p which was dedicated to James Bond and the 2020 Bond £5 series, there’s no doubt that this theme is loved within the collecting community.

The final coin in the Decades of Bond £5 series will feature six iconic vehicles from James Bond films over the last six decades, accompanied by the inscriptions “007” and “SIX DECADES OF 007″.


Upcoming £2 Releases

Winston Churchill £2

Usually, all the coins in the Annual Set are individually released throughout the year, however this year is different, as the Winston Churchill £2 will NOT be individually issued. So currently the only way to get your hands on it is in the 2024 Annual Set.

Securing the 2024 Annual Coin Set is the only way to get your hands on the 2024 Winston Churchill £2

You can secure your 2024 Annual Set for just £42 (+p&p) here >>


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!

Find out more and sign up for free by clicking here >>