New king, new age and new currencies for the uk. There real mint, the national entity in charge of minting the currency of the Kingdom, presented the first pieces with the effigy of His Majesty Charles III, successor of Isabel II: a 5 pound coin and a 50 pence coin. They will form part of a collection of commemorative coins honoring the late ruler.
“We have minted coins for the British Monarchy for over 1,100 years, and it has been our pride and privilege to mint all UK coins from the 70 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It is an honor to now engrave the first effigy of His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom in a coin collection honoring his mother’s life and legacy.
According to tradition, the portrait of the king faces the left, in the opposite direction to that of his mother, facing the right. The effigy of Charles III was made by the hand of Martin Jenningsthe British sculptor famous in the homeland for his representations of great Anglo-Saxon writers and poets: from the statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras station in London, to that of Charles Dickens in the center of Portsmouth, not to mention the monument dedicated to George Orwell opposite to the “BBC Broadcasting House” (also in the capital of the Kingdom).
“It’s the smallest work I’ve ever created. But the reproduction of this face will be seen and held by people all over the world for centuries to come,” commented Jennings himself about his latest artistic creation. According to what the Mirrorthe effigy was directly approved by the new king himself.
The monarch’s face was reproduced based on a photograph taken recently, which reproduces him at the current age of 73. Small curiosity: in the new coins the king does not wear the crown, as happened with previous rulers.
“King Charles III, by the grace of God, defender of the faith”, are the words engraved around the effigy of the new sovereign. On the reverse side of the £5 coin is Elizabeth II’s face, while on the “b side” of the 50 pence coin the four emblems of the native nation are depicted: a rose, a thistle, a clover and a leek.
According to what the Royal Mint website still reports, the 50 pence coins with the face of Charles III will be put into circulation. until the end of 2022. Those depicting Queen Elizabeth II will remain valid: there are about 27 billion in circulation and they will be gradually replaced. In early 2023, the “Royal Mint” will also start minting the other coins with the portrait of the new king, from 1 cent to 2 pounds.
Source: Fan Page IT
Ashley Root is an experienced business journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in economics and finance, she has a deep understanding of the inner workings of the business world and is able to provide insightful and informative analysis on a wide range of topics.
