Britain’s Royal Mint has released eight new coin designs, marking King Charles III’s transition onto British coinage. The redesign reflects the king’s passion for nature and conservation. The new issues will circulate alongside those bearing the shield motif introduced under Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.
The new Royal Mint coins include (from left) a £2 coin with national flowers of the UK, a 1 penny with a hazel dormouse, and a 10 pence with a capercaillie. (Photos: The Royal Mint)
Each of the new coins features an animal or a plant native to the United Kingdom, including a hazel dormouse on the 1 penny, a red squirrel (2 pence), an oak leaf (5 pence), a capercaillie (10 pence), a puffin (20 pence), and an Atlantic salmon (50 pence). The £1 coin features two bees, while the £2 coin depicts the national flowers of each country in the UK—a rose for England, a daffodil for Wales, a thistle for Scotland, and a shamrock for Northern Ireland. The edge of the £2 coin reads IN SERVITIO OMNIUM (“In service to all”), a phrase taken from the king’s inaugural speech. The same pattern of three interlocking Cs appears on each reverse behind the denomination, and the obverse of each piece features King Charles III’s portrait.
Anne Jessopp, the chief executive officer of the Royal Mint, says, “The Royal Mint has struck Britain’s coins for 1,100 years, and this collection will proudly take its place amongst the designs of monarchs ranging from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II.”
A version of this article appears in the December 2023 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)