The U.K.'s Royal Mint cast unique coin designs for King Charles III

October 03, 2022: -On Friday, the first coin featuring King Charles III was unveiled and is set to be in public usage before year-end.

The 50 pence coin shows a likeness of the British king created by British sculptor Martin Jennings, who said it stood his smallest-ever work.

King Charles faces left on the coin, with a tradition that sees each successive monarch switch profiles.

He is not wearing a crown, which the last kings did not, though Queen Elizabeth II did in the five coins produced during her reign.

The same image will be used on coins from 1 penny to £2 from the start of next year.

The text on the new coin says a shortening of the Latin “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith,” the BBC said.

The existing 29 billion coins featuring the queen in circulation in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, will remain legal tender and be phased out naturally and over time with use.

It was common for the public to carry banknotes featuring over one monarch.

The Royal Mint, which has made coins featuring the monarch for over 1,100 years and is Britain’s oldest company, said it would be available to collectors next week and in general use before the end of the year.

“Although technology has progressed, we continue to honor British craftsmanship passed down through the centuries,” said Anne Jessopp, chief executive at the Royal Mint.

“Our team of skilled modelers, tool-makers, and engravers will ensure that the King’s effigy will be faithfully replicated onto millions of coins.”

The Royal Mint will also release a commemorative £5 Crown, a coin intended as a souvenir or collector item that is not generally accepted for use featuring images of Queen Elizabeth II near the start and end of her 70-year reign.

King Charles ascended to the throne on September 8, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, his mother.

This week the palace said the reason for death registered on her death certificate was “old age.” She was 96.