New coronation coins to bear first crowned portrait of King Charles

Portrait designed by Martin Jennings will feature the king wearing a Tudor crown

The new commemorative 50p coin, part of the collection to mark the coronation of King Charles III. PA

A new range of commemorative coins featuring a first ever crowned portrait of King Charles III have been created to celebrate the monarch's coming coronation.

The collection will be released later this month ahead of the celebration on May 6 and will include a 50p and £5 ($6) coin.

The effigy depicts King Charles wearing the Tudor crown and was designed by artist and sculptor Martin Jennings.

The Tudor Crown was personally selected by the king for the portrait despite it no longer existing, having been destroyed in the 1640s.

It continues the tradition of the crown being used in portraits of previous kings from the 20th century, including that of his great-grandfather King George VI.

Mr Jennings said he was “proud” to have created the portrait, which he said was “both dignified and celebratory for this historic occasion”.

The 50p coin will also feature a drawing of Westminster Abbey by the Royal Mint’s resident designer Natasha Jenkins.

The image also includes King Charles’s cipher and crown to symbolise him being inside the abbey where he is to be crowned.

The £5 coin features a design by Timothy Noad of the sacred and symbolic objects used in the coronation ceremony, known as the Coronation Regalia, and the St Edward’s Crown.

The range also contains a number of ounce coins that are available in several editions and sizes, each featuring the crowned portrait of the king on one side and an intricate design by John Bergdahl on the other.

The 50p coins will be available to buy from 9am on April 24 for between £11 and £1,220, while the £5 coins are priced between £14.50 and £2,995.

A 1kg solid gold proof coin featuring the designs of Mr Jennings and Mr Bergdahl will also go on sale for £77,565.

Kings Charles III coins go into production — in pictures

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  The first coins featuring the portrait of King Charles III are going into production at the royal mint in Pontyclun, Wales. All photos: PA

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  The coins will go into circulation on December 28.

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  Artist Martin Jennings, who created the king's likeness, prepares the first coins.

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  The king's likeness used on the coins has been personally approved by the monarch.

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  Martin Jennings with one of the first coins produced.

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  In keeping with tradition, the king's portrait faces to the left, the opposite direction to the previous monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Five million 50p coins are also set to enter circulation later in 2023 featuring the original, uncrowned effigy of Charles by Mr Jennings and the commemorative Westminster Abbey drawing by Ms Jenkins.

This follows the five million memorial 50ps that entered circulation after the king ascended the throne.

Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint, called the range “a wonderful keepsake of such a historic occasion”.

“This is the first coronation that most of us will ever have seen — it has been 70 years since the last coronation in this country — and we know lots of people are gearing up to have a huge celebration,” Ms Morgan said.

“It is a historic moment for Britain and people are going to want something to remember it by and these coins are the perfect choice for that.

“The Royal Mint has struck the coins of the monarchy since the times of Alfred the Great.

“We are marking a moment in history and a new chapter in British coinage.”

Historian and curator at the Royal Mint Museum, Chris Barker, said the coins are unusual as they feature a crowned effigy of the king which in the 20th century has been reserved for commemorative medals only.

“What also really stands out is the way the king is portrayed crowned because there’s a remarkable resemblance to his grandfather, George VI, and he has shown wearing the Tudor crown on coronation medals from his reign,” he said.

“You can see that the king is obviously channelling some of the iconography of the last king that Britain had.”