The Coronation of King Charles III will take place on 6 May 2023 and to mark the special occasion the UK has an extra bank holiday, 8 May 2023.
The last Coronation of a King took place in 1937 for King George VI and, in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II had her Coronation, marking the start of the longest reigning monarch in UK history.
Money is synonymous with the Royal Family, with the monarch’s image featured on all coins and notes. Additionally, a series of commemorative coins have been produced to signify key events in Royal history.
We look back at some of the coins, from the Coronation of the Queen to the new King.
1953 - Queen Elizabeth II 5 Shilling, Commemorative Crown
This is the first commemorative coin to celebrate the Queen and was released to mark her Coronation in 1953 and paved the way for future jubilee coin designs.
The coin was issued by Royal Mint and the coin’s value was five shillings! The edge of the coin had a quote from the Coronation oath reading, ‘Faith and Truth I will Bear unto You’. A portrait was engraved on the coin of the Queen mounted on her horse, Winston, and was designed by the sculptor and engraver Gilbert Ledward RA.
1977 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Silver Proof Crown
The Silver Jubilee was to celebrate 25 years of the Queen’s reign. This coin featured a portrait of the Queen by sculptor and designer of the Queen’s UK stamps, Arnold Machin.
Similar to the Coronation coin, the obverse of the Silver Jubilee crown features a portrait of the Queen riding horseback. The reverse of the coin shows elements of the Coronation ceremony with the crown, the ampulla and the anointing spoon all surrounded by a floral garland. This particular crown is the only one in British history that doesn’t feature an inscription or date!
2002 - Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Silver Proof Crown
In 2002, the Queen had a crown issued with the value of £5 to mark her 50th year on the throne.
This coin was designed and sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley, who created the fourth portrait of the Queen that is featured on the obverse of coins circulating the UK. This portrait of the Queen was different as it was a bust of Her Majesty looking over her shoulder. On the opposite side of the coin the portrait tips its hat to the previous Silver Jubilee crown of Queen Elizabeth equestrian.
2012 - Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee UK Crown
Six decades on the throne was only ever reached at this point by one other monarch, Queen Victoria in 1897.
This was a momentous occasion and to mark its significance the Royal Mint issued a special £5 coin, the first ever Diamond Jubilee coin (one was never made for Queen Victoria). Commissioned again by Ian Rank-Broadley, the obverse of the coin was inspired by the sculpture at the entrance of the Supreme Court building in Parliament Square. The Queen is wearing robes of the Order of the Garter and her crown, of course! This portrait of the Queen was taken as she was in 2012. The reverse design shows a portrait of a younger Queen Elizabeth inspired by Mary Gillick’s first portrait that featured on the obverse of the UK coins in 1953.
2017 - Queen Elizabeth II Sapphire Jubilee £5 coin
To celebrate 65 years on the throne in 2017, marking history as the first British Monarch to reign this length of time, a £5 coin was issued.
This design was fully approved by the Queen herself and was issued to celebrate 65 years of ‘loyalty and affection’. The commemorative piece was designed by Michael Guilfoyle and to shine a light on the Queen’s Coronation it features the sovereign’s cross sceptres with the number ‘65’ and an inset of a crystal to represent a blue sapphire. The inscription engraved around the edge is taken from Her Majesty’s Coronation speech and reads ‘shine through the ages’. Only 8,000 of these coins were created.
2022 - Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 50p coin
The coin was issued to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.
For last year’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, 1.3 million of the 50p coins were distributed via the Post Office on 7 February 2022, a coin that was approved personally by the Queen. It was the first commemorative coin to be issued on a 50p coin.
The platinum design was commissioned by Osborne Ross, which has the number ‘70’ and features inside the zero the Royal Cypher and the dates of the Queen’s reign. The opposite side of the coin is a portrait of the Queen by Jody Clark, the fifth definitive portrait of the Queen on UK coins.
2022 - King Charles III 50p coin
On 28 October 2022, the Royal Mint announced its production of the first circulating coins to feature King Charles III – all 9.6 million of them! This represents a significant moment in history and the biggest change to UK coinage since decimalisation.
The first coin featuring the King - a 50 pence coin honouring The Queen in tribute to her reign - was distributed in December 2022. On the other side of the coin is a portrait of King Charles III created by British artist, Martin Jennings. The biggest difference between the King’s portrait compared to his late mother’s is he will be facing the left, whereas the Queen’s effigy always faced the right.