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) >>

The Isle of Man Christmas £2 returns!

The Isle of Man has released a BRAND NEW Christmas £2 in the run up to the festive period!

Keen collectors will know that the Isle of Man has made some of the most popular festive coins over the years, so this is not one to be missed out on.  

2023 Isle of Man Christmas Nativity £2
2023 Isle of Man Christmas Nativity £2

A traditional design

The stunning reverse design on the 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 has been inspired by the iconic stained-glass window of Church Kirk Christ, Rushen on the Isle of Man. Also included on the coin is the message ‘Merry Christmas’ in both English and Manx, a feature common to most of their Christmas £2 coins.

2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 in hand
2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 in hand

The first King Charles III Isle of Man Christmas £2

Breaking tradition, the Isle of Man didn’t release a Christmas £2 in 2022, making this coin the first one since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. This also means that the 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 is the first to feature Glyn Davies’ effigy of King Charles III on the obverse.

2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 obverse and reverse
2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 obverse and reverse

Your 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality – the favoured specification amongst collectors! It also comes protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging.

Secure yours for just £12.50 (+p&p) >>

Previous Isle of Man Christmas coins

2021 Isle of Man Christmas Nativity £2

The last Isle of Man Christmas £2 took inspiration from the very same stained-glass window in Church Kirk Christ that features on this year’s design.

2021 Isle of Man Christmas £2
2021 Isle of Man Christmas £2

2020 ‘A Christmas Carol’ £2 coins

2020 Isle of Man 'A Christmas Carol' £2 coins
2020 Isle of Man ‘A Christmas Carol’ £2 coins

2020 marked 150 years since the passing of Charles Dickens, and so we were treated to three new Isle of Man Christmas coins, each representing a different scene from Dickens’ timeless Christmas tale, ‘A Christmas Carol’.

2019 Santa £2

The 2019 Isle of Man Christmas £2 featured Old St Nick himself, alongside the distinctive Isle of Man Triskelion (three armoured legs). The 2019 Santa £2 was so popular in fact, that some Change Checkers missed out on securing it for their collections.

2019 Isle of Man Santa £2
2019 Isle of Man Santa £2

2018 Hunt the Wren £2

2018 Isle of Man Hunt the Wren £2
2018 Isle of Man Hunt the Wren £2

The first Isle of Man Christmas £2 coin set a new tradition of festive £2 coins.

The design on the 2018 Christmas £2 pays tribute to an unusual Boxing Day tradition which takes place on the island – Hunt the Wren. The famous Manx tradition involves communities coming together to dance and sing in the streets around a wren bird, which is paraded around on a special pole.

Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50ps

Prior to 2018, the Isle of Man issued some Christmas 50ps to celebrate the festive season.

In 2003, the Isle of Man issued a 50p to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Snowman™. This coin was incredibly sought after by collectors, not only because it was the first ever Snowman™ 50p, but because just 10,000 were minted, making it very scarce.

The Snowman™ 50p was re-issued in 2008 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Snowman™.

2003 Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50p
2003 Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50p
2014 Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50p
2014 Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50p

Another Isle of Man The Snowman™ was issued in 2014 featuring The Snowman™, James and The Snowdog™. Only 30,000 were minted, making it almost as scarce as the 2003 coin.

2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p

The Royal Mint has recently issued a 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p, the 6th in the UK Snowman™ series! It features James and his frosty friend dancing under the Northern Lights.

2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p
2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p

Secure your 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p for just £4.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>

Don’t miss out!

The 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 truly is the ideal present or stocking filler for this year’s festive celebrations.

What’s more, as this coin will not enter circulation in the UK, this could be your only opportunity to own this BRAND NEW £2.