UK: speculation about the 2023 Charles III regular circulation series

[<k>]

On May 20 2022 forum member eurocoin wrote:

Early 2023, the Royal Mint will introduce a new design on its standard circulating 1 pound coin. This year was chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the modern £1. The coin will feature a design by Kenyan artist Michael Armitage. It will be minted for general circulation. Master of the Mint Rishi Sunak announced that Mr Armitage's new design will celebrate the culture, creativity, heritage and history of the UK in the 21st century.

See: The Royal Mint to introduce new design on standard 1 pound coin.

So, how long will it be before we see this new addition to the regular coinage?

Note that it was announced some 4 months before the Queen died. This forthcoming change is therefore NOT as a result of Charles acceding to the throne.

[Offa]

The mint were bitten on the arse when Edward VIII abdicated so I presume that they wait until the monarch is actually crowned before releasing definitive coins

[Alan71]

So, how long will it be before we see this new addition [new £1 coin design] to the regular coinage?

It's certainly a convenient coincidence, but I'd say it will be when the other new standard designs are revealed.

This is why I'm hopeful that the £2 will change as well.  I know it didn't in 2008, but that was because the Technology design was only 11 years old.  The Britannia £2 design is only eight years old, but it's still a year older than the current £1 reverse (albeit much less familiar due to its scarcity in circulation).

It would be a real missed opportunity if the £2 doesn't change.  If the Queen was afforded seven new standard designs simultaneously after 56 years on the throne, then surely Charles should get the full eight at the start of his much shorter reign?

[<k>]

If the Queen was afforded seven new standard designs simultaneously after 56 years on the throne, then surely Charles should get the full eight at the start of his much shorter reign?

We'll see!

[<k>]

So we are still waiting for the regular circulation designs. Meanwhile all this uproar about Prince Harry's new book is ongoing. "William ripped my necklace". Is Harry a prince or a princess? You might wonder.

Does the Palace have a say in when the new designs are revealed? Former UK prime minister Tony Blair taught us about "spin" in the news: how to put the best spin on your latest news and detract from the opposition. Not that it was anything new, of course. Will the Palace choose the optimum time to reveal the new designs and drown out the wails of the ginger whinger? Or is it purely within the gift of the Royal Mint and the Chancellor to choose when to reveal those new designs? How long would it take the Mint to produce all the coins needed for the rest of 2023? How many coins can the Royal Mint produce per minute? Could it all be done within a week? What do you think?

[<k>]

From the Daily Mail:

Charles III is our first monarch to have a stamp without a crown on it

EXTRACTS:

The new stamps, to be released in April, show Charles III opting not to wear the crown

The King's stamp features an adapted version of his new portrait by Martin Jennings, which was created for the obverse of the new Charles III coinage.

Unlike Elizabeth II, the King will face the same way on both his stamps and coins. The late Queen faced left on stamps and right on coins, because monarchs alternate the direction of their profile on coins with each successive reign. Her son, therefore, reverts to looking left on coins.

However, all monarchs look to the left on their stamps. The decision was taken by Edward VII who thought it would look peculiar for the monarch to face away from the contents of a letter.

So the stamps are revealed. How long must we wait to see the regular coin designs?

[chrisild]

So the stamps are revealed. How long must we wait to see the regular coin designs?

If the coin designs were just a portrait of the monarch on a monochrome background and nothing else, the process would be about as fast. Just out of curiosity (I am not "into" stamps), what are those two ovals at the bottom of the portrait area?

[mrbrklyn]

From the December edition of Coin News (UK):

In line with the King's desire for sustainability, it was announced that all planned 2022 and 2023 dated coins bearing Elizabeth's portrait will still be released, including the first few of the 2023 Britannias. The King was supposedly closely involved with the production of his first coinage; at his request, mintage caps were removed until the end of the year to enable all who desire their own examples of his new coinage to be able to obtain them.

This suggests that the new circulation coin series has already been chosen. We shall see in 2023!

Sounds like a collectors DREAM.

[GCVO]

Just out of curiosity (I am not "into" stamps), what are those two ovals at the bottom of the portrait area?

They're supposed to tear off if you try to detach the stamp from the envelope, to prevent it from being reused.

[<k>]

Just out of curiosity (I am not "into" stamps), what are those two ovals at the bottom of the portrait area?

They are "die cuts", apparently. No, I never knew that before, though I had noticed them.

Watch this video from the 1:26 point.

[chrisild]

Thanks to both of you. Our stamps (Deutsche Post) have those data matrix codes on the right as well, and apparently "prevention of reusing" is one of their purposes (apart from basic tracking, and ruining the overall appearance of a stamp ), but I have never seen or noticed those oval cuts. Cool!

[<k>]

The Queen liked her second standard stamp portrait (the Machin) so much, that she refused to allow the portrait ever to be replaced and updated. She pointed out that Queen Victoria kept the same stamp portrait right through her life, from 1840 onwards.

[<k>]

While pondering the question of the issue date of the regular circulation coins for King Charles III, I have looked at precedent. What happened after QEII acceded to the throne?

Today I found this from Britannia Coin Company:

Accession And Coronation Of Elizabeth II.

EXTRACT.

On the death of a British monarch the Accession Council assembles to make a formal proclamation, naming the successor to the throne.

This announcement was a matter of procedure after George VI passed away in the early hours of 6 February 1952. The Council confirmed the late King's eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, as the new monarch later that same day. She had been the heir presumptive since her father acceded to the throne, following the abdication of his brother in 1936.

Though she had been proclaimed Queen, the 25 year old Elizabeth would not be formally invested until her coronation which was to be held on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey.

Traditionally, no money is issued in the name of a new monarch until after their coronation. This gave The Royal Mint - then located opposite the Tower of London - nearly 18 months to prepare a new coinage, bearing the image of the young Queen. Like the coronation itself the process involved carefully navigating centuries of tradition.

The crucial words are: Traditionally, no money is issued in the name of a new monarch until after their coronation. However, I received the 2022 commemorative 50 pence featuring the portrait of Charles III in January 2023. The Royal Mint has also issued a few other commemoratives featuring the King's portrait.

These days, of course, commemorative coins play a regular part in the UK's numismatic life, so probably it was considered an important matter to commemorate the new reign in this way. Those coins, though, were not regular circulation coins, so perhaps the Royal Mint will indeed follow tradition and wait until the Coronation (on 6 May 2023), before releasing them. No doubt there is a sufficient supply of 2022 coins to keep the country going until then.

[andyg]

Westminster are spouting about a proclamation for the new series out today.

[<k>]

Westminster are spouting about a proclamation for the new series out today.

You mean the coin dealers? They are mentioning coronation commemoratives. Nothing about regular circulation coins as yet.