On Thursday 29th September 2022, to commemorate the Life of the Queen, the Royal Mint announced that they were to release a new 50p coin that features the brand-new portrait of King Charles III for the first time.
This was only the second UK royal 50p to be issued, following the much sought-after 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p circulated coin. The King Charles III First portrait was designed by British sculptor Martin Jennings and shows Charles facing left, the opposite direction to his mother.
Jennings' portrait of King Charles has featured on coins in our change since December 2022, and will continue to circulate alongside older coins, struck during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Having only been recently released in 2022, it is quite possible for you to find this fifty-pence coin in your change. Have you found one? This article provides all the necessary information about the circulating coin issued to commemorate this historical Royal event.
History of the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial King Charles III 50p coin
The Royal Mint released the memorial coin range to commemorate the life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 3rd October 2022.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ruled with heart and devotion for seventy years, and this memorial collection commemorated her remarkable legacy as Britain’s longest serving monarch. To ensure everyone could hold a piece of history in their hand, the Royal Mint released the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Memorial King Charles III 50p coin into circulation in the UK.
Design of the Coin
The 2022 King Charles III 50p features the King’s portrait for the first time and as these coins currently stand out from coins with the Queen's portrait, they are sought after by collectors. King Charles' first portrait was created by British sculptor Martin Jennings. You will notice, his portrait faces left – the opposite direction to coins featuring Queen Elizabeth II.
From the time of Charles II onwards, a tradition developed of monarchs being represented on the coinage facing in the opposite direction to their immediate predecessor. The exception to this was in the brief reign of Edward VIII.
Martin Jennings, Designer of His Majesty King Charles III’s effigy, said: “It is a privilege to sculpt the first official effigy of His Majesty and to receive his personal approval for the design. The portrait was sculpted from a photograph of The King, and was inspired by the iconic effigies that have graced Britain’s coins over the centuries. It is the smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and held by people around the world for centuries to come.”
The reverse side of the coin features a design that originally appeared for the 1953 Coronation Crown which was issued to mark the late Queen's coronation. The arrangement of the constituent parts of the royal arms around a central crown with national flowers in between was designed by Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas.
The pattern has been modified to include the year of issue: 2022. It's a tribute to British coinage heritage and the memory of Elizabeth II, seventy years after she acceded to the throne.
CHARLES III | D | G | REX | F | D | 50 PENCE
Previously featured Kings never wore crowns on our circulating coins, instead, tradition showed Queens with headwear. On the contrary, Queen Elizabeth II sported 5 portraits during her reign, each adorned with headwear.Mintage of the 2022 King Charles III 50p coin
According to the Royal Mint the official mintage of this coin is 9,600,000. With a mintage of over 9 million, it is similar to the 2020 Brexit Withdrawal from the European Union 50p and the 2017 Tom Kitten 50p coins.
Like most commemorative 50p coins, the Royal Mint issued the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Memorial King Charles 50p in a variety of uncirculated versions for collectors to purchase directly from their website.
Brilliant Uncirculated versions, Silver Proof 50p and Silver Proof piedfort 50p coins were also released, as well as Gold Proof versions.
Is the 2022 King Charles III 50p rare?
With over 9 million put into circulation and only released in 2022, the coin can still be found in your change. Therefore, it is not considered a rare commemorative coin and you are likely to find one in your change. But, as collectors are keeping them to add to their collections and others have kept them as a memento to mark this historical event, the coins will become more difficult to find in years to come.
Also released in the same year, the 2022 Pride 50p had a mintage of 5,000,000 and the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p had a mintage of 5,000,070.
How much is it worth?
The Royal Mint's UK currency director Mark Loveridge said he expects it to become 'one of the nation's most collectible coins.' Of course, that might not necessarily mean in terms of monetary value. It could just be that people really want them.
Collectibles are only ever worth as much as a collector is willing to pay but at the moment collectors are willing to pay around £3-£4 for a circulated version of this coin in excellent condition. Uncirculated versions will be considerably more.
Where can I buy a 2022 King Charles III 50p coin?
If you can't find one in the wild, you do have another option: circulated versions are available from ourselves by clicking here.
Online market places such as eBay and Amazon have coins available, but as always, check out the seller, the listing description, photos and do as much research before buying.
The Royal Mint has an online shop where you can buy various coins in circulated, uncirculated, silver proof and gold proof condition, but as we mentioned, they no longer stock the Silver or Gold proof versions of the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial King Charles III 50p coin.
Are there any known errors for the Platinum Jubilee 50p coin?
The Royal Mint has not confirmed any official errors for this coin.
Bit of trivia...
King Charles III became King on 8 September 2022.
Aged 73, King Charles III became the oldest monarch ever crowned in British history when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II passed away in Balmoral, Scotland. He had been heir apparent (the next person to be crowned) since he was 3 years old.
As Prince of Wales, he founded nearly 20 charities.Together, these charities raise £140 million each year for good causes. He’s also passionate about the environment – as Prince, he spoke out about plastic pollution as early as 1970, drove an electric car and planted many trees during royal engagements.