Where are the King Charles III coins? Canada? Australia? Great Britain?

rec78

Are Canada and Australia going to issue King Charles III regular (nickels, dimes, quarters, etc.,) coins for circulation? If so, When? There seems to be no news on this. Even the UK seems reluctant to produce King Charles III coins. It's been nearly 6 months since Queen Elizabeth has passed away. You would think that they would have dies ready by now. OK, the UK 50 pence King Charles III coin is here but where are the rest?

DoubleDime

I have a 2023 1 oz. Sliver Britannia.

Bailathacl

Stock photo of said Charles III Britannia. My completist tendencies forced me to order one!

asheland

I have that silver £.50, and a Britannia with Charles.

It seems like only England so far...

Sapyx

Yes, eventually Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth realms and territories that currently use Elizabeth II's portrait, will likely switch to Charles III in the coming year or two. But I don't think any other country other than Britain itself has actually completed the process required to change the coinage design. Here in Australia, for example, a portrait has to be chosen, then approved by government committee before being returned to the monarch for their personal approval, then finally released for use by the Mint.

Britain surprised everybody with the speed at which the new coinage portrait was selected and authorized. The larger ones - Australia, Canada and New Zealand - will probably have new Charles III coins ready to go by the coronation in May. Canada has for many decades now been using "home-grown" portraits by Canadian artists, rather than the British-designed portrait, and I would expect that tradition to continue.

Meanwhile the RCM and RAM have both already struck many 2023 coins with Elizabeth II's portrait, following standard modern mint practice of striking coins about six months in advance of their actual issue. They both seem to have taken the attitude that they're not going to withdraw and melt down the coins struck with the "wrong monarch".

Nap

It is interesting that in the ancient world, you could have a year of six different short lived emperors, and they would all produce their own coins, sometimes with a reign of only a few weeks.

Obviously the needs and policies of the modern state are different.

SaorAlba

I wonder if Belize in Central America will finally give up the QEII young head that they have used into their current coinage?

Sapyx

@Nap said:
It is interesting that in the ancient world, you could have a year of six different short lived emperors, and they would all produce their own coins, sometimes with a reign of only a few weeks.

Obviously the needs and policies of the modern state are different.

In an age before the invention of the Internet, radio, or even newspapers, coins were an efficient means of spreading official government news. And "I'm your new emperor now" was important government news.

An emperor needed to accrue the trappings of power in order to cement their regime, especially if their rise to power was either challenged by others or not entirely orthodox. For certain emperors, it really was a case of "fake it until you make it". And "the right to issue coinage" was one of those trappings of power.

Charles III doesn't need to convince anybody he's the rightful king. And we'd all have heard about him from other news sources long before we found one of his coins in change. So in both senses, there is no urgency in getting Charles III coins produced quickly.

Sergey74

@Nap said:
It is interesting that in the ancient world, you could have a year of six different short lived emperors, and they would all produce their own coins, sometimes with a reign of only a few weeks.

Obviously the needs and policies of the modern state are different.

They were dictators. For them it was important sign of power. Like propaganda.

tahbb143

Got more Chuck coins on the way, but it appears many if not all commonwealth countries [excluding GB obv, as they've been churning out Chuck coins] are keeping Lizzie's visage for now and using some varying sort of memorial privy until their Chuck portraits are ready

3stars

Had my 2022 Charles III sovereign for almost two weeks. Check Apmex.

coinboynyc

I'm surprised coins with Charles' portrait were actually produced in 2022! (The designs were unveiled by the Royal Mint on 9/30/22, just three weeks after the Queen's passing.) But as we all know, it's been 70 years - a long time for technology to advance enough to allow such a thing.

According to an article in the 10/24/22 issue of Coin World, the design had been in the works for "about a year."

"Given the advanced age of the now-late queen, and the standard practice of having on hand designs for various members of the royal family, the design was mostly ready, with a plaster created months ago, and lettering and other details added since the Sept. 8 death of Queen Elizabeth II," the article reports. "Production of the new design was available with such expediency because digital production tools are in place today that did not exist the last time a new effigy was required because of a change in monarch, [Royal Mint Museum information and research manager Chris] Barker said."

So I'd guess the Royal Mint is ready to issue coins for King William ASAP, if need be. However, even though Charles is 74 years old, his parents (and grandmother) lived very long lives, so I'm sure the Mint won't need to worry about that for another 20 years or so.

Goober

I purchased two limited proof sets from the Royal Mint. The first showed up packaged superbly. I open it up and all coins were flawed but one. I'm talking smudges, scratches. I then do a little googling and find out there are complaints flooding the web. I kept the set as the cost of shipping it back and waiting just wasn't worth it.