Posts Tagged ‘king charles iii’
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…
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).
Where can you find the UK Coronation 50ps and how much are they worth?
On 10th August 2023, 5 million UK King Charles III Coronation 50ps entered circulation. Collectors were keen to get their hands on one, with many trying to get them directly from banks and post offices, and some hoping to find one in their change.
We wanted to know where the Coronation 50ps were being found, so we opened our collector map to track them up and down the country. In just over two months, nearly 550 collectors input their postcode to let us know where they found the Coronation 50p, so let’s take a look at where in the UK you’re most likely to find one…
Where can you find the UK Coronation 50ps?
We’ve gathered the data from our collector map, and we can reveal the 5 places you’re most likely to find a Coronation 50p in your change are…
5. Leicester
2.5% of Coronation 50ps were found in Leicester.
4. Norwich
2.6% of Coronation 50ps were found in Norwich.
3. Cardiff
2.8% of Coronation 50ps were found in Cardiff.
2. Derby
2.9% of Coronation 50ps were found in Derby.
1. Birmingham
5.1% of Coronation 50ps were found in Birmingham.
You can view the full collector map here to check how many Coronation 50ps have been found in your area.
How much is the UK Coronation 50p worth?
A common question we get is ‘how much is the Coronation 50p worth?’. Many factors determine the value of a coin, but ultimately it depends on what someone is prepared to pay for it.
We’ve used our eBay Tracker formula to work out how much a circulation Coronation 50p might be worth. As you can see, they are selling on the secondary market for around £2.79, which is a 458% increase from the face value.
So now you know where in the UK you have the highest chance of finding a Coronation 50p in your change, and how much you could expect to pay for one on the secondary market.
Owners of the Coronation 50p also own a small piece of history as it’s the first ever UK Coronation 50p to be issued. If you haven’t had any luck finding the Coronation 50p in your change, you can secure the crowned collectors version in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £4.99 (+£2.99 postage) here >>
What’s next for UK coinage?
It’s all change for UK coinage, as we’ve been treated to eight brand new designs that will feature on our everyday coinage! These new UK coins represent British wildlife and conservation, a passion of King Charles III.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here or to secure the complete New UK Coinage set for your collection, click here >>
