Design of the King Charles Coin: The Royal Mint begins production of the first circulation coins featuring the King

The move represents the biggest change to British currency since decimalisation, with a 50p memorial to the late Queen appearing in public change via banks and post offices from December. Workers at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales, will produce 9.6 million of the coin to mark the Queen’s death at the age of 96.

As a tribute to the Queen, the reverse of the 50p features the design that originally appeared on coins to commemorate her coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1953. It includes four quarters of the Royal Coat of Arms depicted in a shield, with the emblems of the nations of origin – a rose, a thistle, a shamrock and a leek.

There are approximately 27 billion coins bearing the late Queen’s portrait currently in circulation in the UK and these will be legal tender, being replaced over time as they are damaged or worn out and to meet the request. Historically it was common for coins representing different monarchs to be used at the same time and this will now happen with the coins of the late Queen and Charles.

Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: “For many people it will be the first time in their lives that they have seen a new monarch appear on silver.

“This represents the biggest change to British coinage since decimalisation and will usher in a new era where Queen Elizabeth II and Charles coins co-circulate in the UK.

“The new 50 pence memorial marks a moment in history and honors a historic reign that spanned 70 years.”

The pieces will be made on demand in accordance with the wishes of the late King and Queen, who asked for minimal waste during the process.

Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint, confirmed that “nothing is removed or changed just for the sake of change”.

“It was not unusual to see two or three different monarchs on coins before decimalization,” she said.

“Due to decimalisation, most people under 50 have never seen Queen Elizabeth II in their pockets.”

The 50 pence coin was chosen as it is one of the most popular to start collecting.

“I think it’s really poignant that the King’s first coins are a tribute to his late mother,” Ms Morgan added.

“The only difference on the reverse of the coin is the date on either side of the leek, which is 2022 instead of 1953.”

It takes between 18 months and two years to design a piece, with the monarch personally signing each one.

Before her death, the Queen signed a number of pieces – including a Harry Potter commemorative series – and production of these will continue.

This means that two of the Harry Potter series will feature the Queen, with the latter two bearing the King’s portrait.

Production of coins with the Queen’s portrait will end by the end of the year.

Famous British artist Martin Jennings, who usually works in bronze and stone, designed the official portrait of Charles to be struck on coins.

In the portrait, Charles faces left, the opposite direction from his mother. Indeed, according to tradition, monarchs face the opposite of their predecessors when it comes to money.

It is also tradition that kings do not wear crowns in their portraits on coins, while queens are depicted crowned.

Mr Jennings worked with images of Charles taken on his 70th birthday and started by drawing his design on paper, before creating a plaster model.

“It’s extremely detailed work with microns of material,” he said. “It must be an absolute likeness. It is a portrait of the monarch but also of the individual.

The finished plaster cast was then handed over to experts at the Royal Mint, where it was digitally reduced to fit the size of each coin denomination.

“It was a big design challenge,” Mr. Jennings said. “The placement of everything is exactly precise, like the spacing between the letters, the proximity to the head.

“It’s a huge honor. It’s amazing to think that the smallest work I’ve ever done is the one that’s going to be reproduced the most often.”

Previous works by Mr Jennings include a sculpture of the poet Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras Station, one of nurse Mary Seacole near Westminster Bridge and a bronze bust of the Queen Mother at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Mr Jennings, who officially launched production of the 50p coins at the Royal Mint, described seeing them in person as “astonishing”.

“So many are produced so quickly and they’re all so perfect, it’s remarkable,” he said.

Martin Jennings worked painstakingly for a year, alongside experts from the Royal Mint, to create the portrait of Charles on the front of the new coins.

To manufacture the 9.6 million coins, four presses will operate 16 hours a day at the Royal Mint site.

Each press can strike 400 coins per minute, or approximately 20,000 coins per hour.

The coins are checked and counted before being packed into boxes of 100,000, which are then sent to banks and sorting centers across the country.