General info
Memorial Obverses of Queen Elizabeth II Issued Whilst King Charles III’s Portrait Awaits Approval
Royal Australian Mint and Perth Mint are set to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II with special memorial obverses, whilst their King Charles III portrait awaits approval:
“In the coming months the Australian Government will announce details of… an effigy of King Charles III for all Australian coins” – Royal Australian Mint.
Royal Australian Mint’s Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Obverse Design
The first coinage featuring His Majesty’s effigy are expected to be issued in late 2023.
Until then, Royal Australian Mint have issued a final commemorative coin design featuring Queen Elizabeth II effigy.
Royal Australian Mint’s Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Obverse will be used on collectable and investment coins starting from 01.01.2023
Six effigies of Her Late Majesty have appeared on Australian coins but the new memorial design will feature the Queen’s years of reign as an inscription – “Elizabeth II 1952-2022”.
The Memorial Obverse will also feature on coins issued by The Perth Mint in Western Australia.
Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Coins by The Perth Mint
The Australian Kangaroo 2023 Gold, Silver and Platinum Bullion Coins will be The Perth Mint’s first releases featuring this memorial obverse.
Following the bullion kangaroos, the memorial obverse will be used on select Australian legal tender coins too.
Whilst we eagerly anticipate the reveal of Australia’s King Charles III effigy, we’ve seen His Majesty’s portrait revealed on our UK coins and banknotes.
UK King Charles III Coin Obverse Effigy
The first effigy of King Charles III first appeared on a UK 50p earlier in 2022, commemorating Queen Elizabeth II.
The coin has since entered circulation, with 4.9 million coins currently out there to find.
This obverse also featured on the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial £5 coin but we’re yet to see it on our lower denomination and £2 coins.
However, some of the first 2023-dated UK coins have been confirmed, featuring His Majesty’s portrait, so we can certainly start getting excited! Find out more here >>
King Charles III Portrait Revealed on UK Banknotes
His Majesty’s portrait will appear on the front of UK banknotes from mid-2024.
There will be no changes to the existing designs which means we’ve all got a fantastic opportunity to find a new re-issued version our favourite banknote!
Taking guidance from the Royal Household, the new banknotes will only be issued to replace worn Queen Elizabeth II notes. So, the two monarchs’ portraits will co-circulate for some time!
Find out more and discover which serial numbers you should look out for >>
Are you a collector of Australian coinage? Let us know in the comments if you’re exciting for the new King Charles III portrait to be revealed!
Find and store your King Charles III 50p alongside the first King Charles III £5 coin
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King Charles III Banknotes – From print to pocket
The first King Charles III banknotes entered circulation on 5th June 2024, read on to discover their journey from print to pocket…
Credit: Bank of England
*** June 24 – BANKNOTES ENTER CIRCULATION ***
King Charles III banknotes finally enter circulation
On 5th June 2024, all denominations of UK banknotes featuring King Charles III entered circulation.
You can find out everything you need to know about the new notes, including details about their special security features and how to get your hands on one here >>
*** April 2024 – UPDATE ***
The King is presented with the first low numbered banknote of each denomination
On 9th April 2024, King Charles was presented with new banknotes of each denomination featuring his image. The portrait on the new notes is based on an engraving of a picture of His Majesty taken in 2013.
The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey and chief cashier, Sarah John visited His Majesty at Buckingham Palace where the new notes were presented. Mr Bailey told The King it was a “big moment” as previously, it had been only his mother Queen Elizabeth II who had appeared on British banknotes.
Credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The King was presented with some of the first low numbered notes of each denomination, with the following serial numbers:
£5 CA 01 000001
£10 HB 01 000001
£20 EH 01 000001
£50 AJ 01 000001
Did you know? The letters at the beginning of a banknote’s serial number indicate its position on the sheet on which it’s printed. The 6 numbers that follow the letters refer to the number on the sheet the note is printed on.
*** February 2024 – UPDATE ***
CONFIRMED – King Charles III banknotes to enter circulation from June 2024
The Bank of England have confirmed that new banknotes featuring King Charles III would begin entering circulation from 5th June 2024.
We can expect to see new £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes featuring The King’s portrait on the obverse, however the reverse designs will remain unchanged. Currently, banknote reverse designs feature Sir Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing (from the £5 to £50 respectively).
Credit: Bank of England Flickr
The new notes will only be issued when there is sufficient demand or to replace worn or damaged older notes featuring Queen Elizabeth II – meaning that both monarchs will co-circulate on UK banknotes for the foreseeable future. The Queen Elizabeth II notes that are already in circulation will still be accepted in shops even after the new notes start to enter circulation.
Did you know? There are approximately 4.7 billion Queen Elizabeth II banknotes currently in circulation, worth an estimated £82 billion!
*** January 2024 – UPDATE ***
The first King Charles III banknotes go on display in the Bank of England Museum
New King Charles III banknotes are due to go on display as part of a special exhibition in The Bank of England Museum. Whilst we’ve seen some images of the new polymer notes featuring The King, this will be the first opportunity to see the them in person before they go into circulation later in the year.
Credit: Bank of England Museum
As well as the new banknotes, the Future of Money exhibition will feature digital currencies, crypto assets, the increasing role of AI and explore the lifespan of cash.
The free exhibition will open in the Bank of England Museum on 28th February and will run until September 2025.
*** November 2023 – UPDATE ***
The Bank of England begin printing millions of King Charles III banknotes
The Bank of England have announced that banknotes featuring King Charles III are being printed at a rate of 6 million in 24 hours. However despite this, the new notes won’t begin circulating until mid-2024.
Credit: Bank of England Flickr
The delay in new notes entering circulation is caused by machines such as self service tills not being able to recognise the new image.
The Bank of England’s chief cashier, Sarah John, said “There is a lot to do to ensure that machines used up and down the country can accept the banknotes. They all need to be adapted to recognise the new design, with software updates, and that takes months and months. Otherwise, we will be putting a banknote out there that people simply would not be able to use.”
A more sustainable transition
Taking guidance from the Royal Household, the new banknotes will only be issued to replace worn or damaged Queen Elizabeth II notes, consequently two monarchs’ portraits will co-circulate for some time!
This transition phase will minimise the environmental and financial impact of the change, in keeping with the King’s vision for a more sustainable future.
His Majesty’s portrait will now appear on the front of the notes, however there will be no changes to the current reverse designs:
- Winston Churchill (£5)
- Jane Austen (£10)
- JMW Turner (£20)
- Alan Turing (£50)
But, any serious collector knows that it’s not just the design you should be looking out for…
King Charles III Banknotes – ‘Rare’ Serial Numbers to look for
AA01
Remember the excitement when the first polymer £5 note was issued?
I’m willing to bet that every single person in the country checked theirs at some point to see if they were lucky enough to find one with the prefix AA01.
The annual Bank Of England charity auction held at Spink and Son Ltd in London auctioned off a Queen Elizabeth II polymer £5 note with the serial number AA01 000017 for £4,150.
And the following year, a Jane Austen Polymer £10 note with the serial number AA01 000010 sold for a staggering £7,200 – over double the guide price!
As King Charles III becomes only the second monarch to appear on circulating Bank of England notes, i’m expecting a similar level of demand for the first run of AA01 notes during His Majesty’s reign.
AK47
Considered collectable due to the machine gun connotations, polymer notes with the prefix AK47 were thought to be worth tens of thousands of pounds following the new £5 release in 2016.
This idea emerged after a £5 banknote with the prefix AK47 fetched a winning bid of £80,100 on eBay.
The seller must have been overjoyed with the jackpot amount but unfortunately the buyer had no intention of paying up.
Continue learning about ‘rare’ serial numbers to look out for >>
The first King Charles III 50p Coin
The first coin bearing the portrait of King Charles III entered circulation in December 2022 – have you found on in your change yet? Use our helpful collector map to see where in the UK they’re being spotted to help you hunt one down >>
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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…
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 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.
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