The UK’s FIRST Coronation 50p! 

In anticipation for King Charles III’s Coronation on 6th May 2023, the Official UK Coronation coins were revealedincluding the FIRST EVER UK Coronation 50p!

In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about these coins issued to mark a huge historical milestone.

2023 UK Coronation 50p

The most significant royal event of our generation was celebrated with a UK 50p coin, struck by The Royal Mint to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III.

UK's FIRST Coronation 50p - showing a reverse design of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty's Royal Cypher. The obverse design features a never-before-seen portrait of His Majesty crowned.
UK’s FIRST Coronation 50p

This was the UK’s FIRST coronation 50p as Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 was marked with a Crown coin.

The design features the royal cypher set against Westminster Abbey, where the King was crowned.

But, what makes this coin particularly special is a feature you eagle eyed collectors will be sure to spot.

Simply take a look on the obverse of this 50p and you’ll notice it differs from other King Charles III coins…

That’s because The Royal Mint created a collector version of the coin with an unusual twist – showing a crowned effigy of the King!

King Charles III crowned and uncrowned coinage portraits. Left shows the collector-only issue of the King Charles III obverse and right shows the traditional uncrowned portrait which can be seen on existing King Charles coinage.
2023 Coronation 50p – two varying obverse designs showing His Majesty crowned and uncrowned.

Whilst we’ve all grown familiar with seeing a crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth on our coins, traditionally male monarchs do not wear crowns on UK coinage – which is why the standard King Charles coins show him uncrowned.

However, breaking from tradition to commemorate this remarkable royal event, the King Charles III Coronation 50p shows His Majesty wearing the Tudor Crown.

This special obverse design is only available in collector quality and can’t be found in your change – making for a unique addition to any collection.

Is the UK’s FIRST Coronation 50p the most sought-after coin EVER?

Collecting firsts are key for driving up demand – just think back to the worldwide popularity of the UK’s first royal 50p – the Platinum Jubilee 50p.

Within the first 24 hours of release, all limited edition presentations of the Platinum Jubilee 50p completely SOLD OUT!

In fact, even the Brilliant Uncirculated quality presentations of the Platinum Jubilee 50p and £5 coins are still selling for £26 on secondary market sites.

2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p and £5 selling for £26 on eBay. Could the UK's FIRST Coronation 50p rival its demand?
Platinum Jubilee 50p and £5 coin sold for £26 on eBay in March 2023.

AND, the circulating version of the Platinum Jubilee 50p recently sold for £20 on eBay.

UK's FIRST Coronation 50p set to rival demand for 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p which is currently fetching around £20 on eBay.
Platinum Jubilee 50p sold for £20 on eBay.

Coronation celebrated on UK’s flagship royal coin

Alongside the 50p coin, The Royal Mint also issued a brand new UK £5 – the flagship royal coin.

UK's Coronation £5 - obverse and reverse.
UK Coronation £5. Get your hands on it here >>

The reverse design by Timothy Noad features a depiction of St. Edward’s Crown, accompanied by the sovereign’s sceptre with dove and the sovereign’s sceptre with cross with the inscription “THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES III 6 MAY 2023”.

The obverse also features the special crowned portrait of His Majesty, created especially for the Coronation Coin Range.

This £5 coin is the perfect pairing to the UK’s first coronation 50p. Get your hands on it in Brilliant Uncirculated quality >>

Don’t miss out on owning the 2023 Coronation £5

The 2023 Coronation 50p is no longer available, however you can still secure the Coronation £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality from Change Checker >>

2023 King Charles III coins announced – upcoming 50p, £2, and £5s…

We’ve been keeping an eye on the latest Royal Proclamations and excitingly, these 2023 dated King Charles III 50p, £2, and £5 coins have been announced…

2023 King Charles III Coins
2023 King Charles III Coins

Upcoming 2023 King Charles III Coins

Star Wars™ 50ps

The first UK Star Wars™ 50p was released in July and featured R2-D2™ and C-3PO™ inside the Millennium Falcon.

A far cry from the lovable droid duo, the second UK Star Wars™ 50p took us over to the dark side, featuring Darth Vader™ and Emperor Palpatine™.

The next 2 coins in the series have also been revealed and we can expect these to be released later this year. We know they’ll feature Luke Skywalker™ & Princess Leia™ and Han Solo™ & Chewbacca™!

King Charles III’s 75th Birthday £5

King Charles III. Pictured as Prince of Wales.

King Charles III will celebrate his 75th birthday in 2023 – just 6 months after he was crowned King.

To commemorate his birthday, a brand-new £5 coin will be issued.

The reverse will feature a floral arrangement surrounding His Royal Cypher, the number 75 and the inscription, “HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III 1948 2023”.

When will we see King Charles III Definitive Coins?

It’s been announced that we can expect to see the first UK coinage featuring King Charles III issued very soon! Perhaps the biggest change to UK coinage in decades, both collectors and the general public are getting excited about our everyday coins changing.

Whilst we’ve already seen commemorative 50p and £2 coins issued featuring King Charles III, this will be the first time he will have featured on a UK 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and £1 coin!

It’s been 15 years since we last saw a new reverse design on UK Definitive Coins and this will be the first time EVER that both reverse and obverse designs will change at the same time.

We’ll keep Change Checkers up to date with all the latest King Charles III coin news. Don’t want to miss out? Sign-up to receive updates below:

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Charles in your Change – where will you find a KCIII 50p and how much is it worth?

A new UK 50p has entered circulation featuring King Charles III’s portrait for the first time – but collectors are wondering, “how much is it worth?”

Obverse/reverse of King Charles III 50p.
The 2022 UK Charles III Obverse Portrait on a UK 50p

Special collector versions of the coins have already been issued and their limited edition presentations sold out within JUST HOURS!

4.9 million of these very 50ps will begin circulating from December.

You all know how many people will want this coin.

So, it could be tricky to get your hands on one.

How will you find the new KCIII 50p?

That’s why Change Checker is launching our Charles in your Change campaign – helping you collectors increase your chances of finding this 50p.

The Charles in your Change campaign image.
Showing Alex to the left, 'Change Checker' and 'Charles in your Change' logos in the centre, above the KCIII 50p obverse/reverse. Rachel is pictured to the far right.

We’re asking the UK public to register where in the country they found it.

This will help us to update our collector map showing the best hot spots to find the new coin.

Example of Change Checker's King Charles III coin map.
Example of Change Checker’s King Charles III coin map. For illustrative purposes only.

We’ll update this every week, so you can keep track of where, and how quickly these coins are moving around the country.

Find out more here >>

What will the King Charles III 50p be worth?

Any avid collectors knows the worth of a scarce coin.

A look at the Change Checker Scarcity Index will show you just how sought-after UK coins can be.

The coin at the top of the 50p Scarcity Index is the Kew Gardens 50p – just 210,000 entered circulation in 2009 and they still (over 13 years later) fetch around £100 on secondary market sites.

Sold prices of the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p.
Two separate listings sold for £150 and £175 on eBay on 7th November 2022.
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p recently sold for £150 and £175 on eBay.

The value of the King Charles III 50p depends on what someone is prepared to pay in the future – that’s part of the joy of collecting.

But, you can be sure that if you find one in your change, you’ll own a small piece of history – the very first coin of King Charles III’s reign. And remember, it’ll never be worth less than its face value of 50p.

When will there be more coins?

Look out for a new £1 coin design next year.

It’ll be the first new £1 design since 2017 and excitingly, the very first £1 coin that could feature King Charles III’s portrait on the obverse. Find out more here >>

And of course, look out for those definitive coins1p – £2 coins. They will, inevitably, be redesigned in the future to have His Majesty’s portrait on them.

The first definitive coins of a new monarch’s reign mark a significant moment in numismatic history. Consequently, collectors will be racing to find a complete set of definitive coins.

Swap your coins with other collectors

Swapping your coins with other collectors will help you fill any gaps you may have in your coin collections.

If people are lucky enough to find more than one King Charles III 50p in their change, they could be prepared to swap one.

So, if you do struggle to find the 50p in your change you should head the Change Checker Community Group on Facebook. You can get tips, tricks, and even swap with other collectors – completely for free!

Or, you can list your coin collection online with the Change Checker Web App. It’s free to use and will take less than 60 seconds to sign-up!

Display your KCIII 50p in the First Effigy Collecting Pack

Get the King Charles III First Effigy Collecting Pack for JUST £15.99 (+p&p) here >>

As soon as you find the KCIII 50p in your change, you can slot it into your collecting pack, alongside the King Charles III £5 coin.