Where Are We on King Charles III Coin Updates?

Following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, there was much conversation about it meant for the countries whose currency – notably coins here – bore her portrait. These included not just the approximately 29 billion circulating coins in the United Kingdom, but also those Commonwealth countries and other territories that featured her image on one or more coins. Two years on from the succession of King Charles III as monarch, where do these countries stand with updating their coins?

The United Kingdom seems like the obvious place to start, as the home state of the King. A new series with a conservation theme has been designed to replace the shield design featuring the late Queen. The first coin in the new series, the Atlantic salmon 50p, entered circulation in November 2023, followed by the £1 featuring two British bees released in August this year.