'You see the lines in his face, the years of experience, and that humanity coming across'
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National Post Wire Services
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Coins featuring King Charles’ portrait will enter circulation from December.
The Royal Mint have unveiled the new design for 50p coins which, in keeping with tradition, depict the monarch’s portrait facing to the left, the opposite direction to the appearance of the late Queen Elizabeth on current money.
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Chris Barker, from the Royal Mint Museum, said: “Charles has followed that general tradition that we have in British coinage, going all the way back to Charles II actually, that the monarch faces in the opposite direction to their predecessor.”
Charles worked closely with sculptor Martin Jennings and personally approved the effigy that his monetary likeness has based on.
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According to the Royal Mint’s chief commercial officer Nicola Howell, this was “to make sure there was a seamless empathetic way to end her majesty’s reign and to actually signal the new reign of a new king”.
A Latin inscription surrounding the king’s portrait on the coin reads: “CHARLES III . D . G . REX . F . D . 50 PENCE . 2022” which means: “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.”
Chris described the image as “dignified and graceful”, which he felt “reflects [Charles’] years of service”.
He added: “I think if you look back on some of the portraits of Elizabeth — particularly her first portrait by Mary Gillick — it was much more idealised.
“This one is much more of the man himself, of the individual, you see the lines in his face, the years of experience, and that humanity coming across.”
Dignified and graceful
The reverse of the 50p includes the four quarters of the Royal Arms depicted within a shield, with an emblem of the home nations – a rose, a thistle, a shamrock, and a leek, in between each shield. The design was originally used on the 1953 Coronation Crown, a coin struck to commemorate the queen’s coronation.
In addition, a commemorative £5 coin has also been revealed which features Charles on the front and on the back, there are two new portraits of the late queen – who died earlier this month aged 96 – with one depicting her in her younger years and one when she was older.
It was designed by artist John Bergdahl in collaboration with the Royal Mint and will former part of a wider memorial coin collection.
A commemorative £5 coin has also been created that features two new portraits of the late queen on the back.
Nicola said: We expect customers will start to be able to receive the commemorative range from October and then we expect the 50p memorial circulating coin to be appearing in people’s change probably from December.”
