2023 was a landmark year in the history of our nation and monarchy, as King Charles III is crowned King.
The most significant Royal event of our generation has been celebrated with a UK 50p coin, struck by The Royal Mint to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, featuring the royal cypher set against Westminster Abbey, where the King was crowned.
This stunning 50p features the portrait of His Majesty The King and commemorates the first British coronation since that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The coin also features a design by Natasha Jenkins, a product designer at The Royal Mint. Natasha Jenkins’ design represents Westminster Abbey, the location of the coronation.
This 50p was issued into circulation to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III on 6th May 2023. This is the first ever UK Coronation 50p, and features the uncrowned portrait of the King on the obverse.
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 2023, 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 2023 King Charles III 50p coin
His Majesty King Charles III, the first British monarch to be crowned in the twenty-first century, will take the monarchy into the future in what is now the new Carolean era.
The Royal Mint released this historic coin on Saturday 6th May 2023 to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. It features the first coinage portrait of His Majesty The King and commemorates the first British coronation since that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Coronations are steeped in tradition, seeing monarchs make promises to God and the people that they serve. For most, a historic moment like this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to come together and celebrate the start of a new era. The Royal Mint has a long history of producing coronation medals. The tradition of making such medals dates back to the reign of Edward VI
Design of the Coin
The reverse design represents the exterior of Westminster Abbey, where British coronations have taken place since 1066 and also features the Royal Cypher at the centre. The cypher is the Sovereign’s monogram, consisting of the initials of the monarch’s name, Charles, and title, Rex – Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Crown. The cypher is the personal property of The King and was selected by His Majesty from a series of designs prepared by The College of Arms.
The 2023 King Charles III 50p features the King’s portrait 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.”
CHARLES III | D | G | REX | F | D | 50 PENCE 2023.
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 2023 King Charles III 50p coin
According to the Royal Mint no official mintage for this coin has been issued but an estimate of 5,000,000 has previously been mentioned. With a mintage of 5 million, it is similar to the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p coin and the 2022 UK Pride 50p coin.
Like most commemorative 50p coins, the Royal Mint issued the 2023 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 2023 King Charles III 50p rare?
With an estimated 5 million put into circulation and only released in 2023, 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 definitive 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p circulated coin is expected to have a very low mintage.
How much is it worth?
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 2023 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 2023 King Charles III 50p coin.
Are there any known errors for the 2023 King Charles 50p coin?
The Royal Mint has not confirmed any official errors for this coin.
Bit of trivia...