Yahoo Finance Coronation coins: King Charles 50p and £5 commemorative currency now available
The Royal Mint has launched a range of commemorative coins to celebrate King Charles's coronation, including a 50p and a £5 coin.
The special commemorative collection has been released ahead of the historic celebration on 6 May.
Unlike the 50p coins which are to go into circulation at the end of this year, these coins are the first ones that show the new King with a crown.
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Artist and sculptor Martin Jennings designed the effigy, which is emblazoned on the collectible coins and depicts Charles wearing the Tudor crown.
King Charles personally selected the the crown for the portrait despite it no longer existing, having been destroyed in the 1640s.
The crowned effigy is reserved specifically for collectable, commemorative coins.
The range also contains a number of ounce coins, that are available in several editions and sizes, each featuring the crowned portrait of the King on one side and an intricate design by John Bergdahl on the other.
The 50p coin features a drawing of Westminster Abbey by The Royal Mint’s resident designer Natasha Jenkins. The image also includes King Charles’ cypher and crown to symbolise him being crowned inside the abbey.
The 50p coins are available to buy for between £11 and £1,220, while the £5 coins are priced between £14.50 and £2,995. A 1kg solid gold proof will also go on sale for £77,565.
Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at The Royal Mint, called the range “a wonderful keepsake of such a historic occasion”.
“This is the first coronation that most of us will ever have seen — it has been 70 years since the last coronation in this country — and we know lots of people are gearing up to have a huge celebration,” she said.
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“It is a historic moment for Britain and people are going to want something to remember it by and these coins are the perfect choice for that.”
She added: “The Royal Mint has struck the coins of the monarchy since the times of Alfred the Great.
“We are marking a moment in history and a new chapter in British coinage.”
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