Posts Tagged ‘coronation coins’
Official UK Coronation Coins Revealed…
The Royal Mint have revealed a special Coronation portrait of King Charles III, which will feature on the United Kingdom’s range of Coronation Coins.
The portrait shows King Charles III wearing the Tudor Crown, a design that is unique to the Coronation Range – this includes the UK’s first Coronation 50p, a £5, an Ounce and a Sovereign.
The 50p itself features a design by Natasha Jenkins of the King’s Royal Cypher, alongside the front of Westminster Abbey where he will be crowned on 6th May 2023.
The £5 coin, designed by renowned coin artist Timothy Noad, features the St Edward’s Crown joined by other Coronation Regalia.
And finally, the Ounce coins feature a heraldic design by John Bergdahl.
All designs have been personally approved by the King himself and will be available from 9am on 24th April 2023, on The Westminster Collection’s website.
To be the first to find out how to secure yours, sign up below:
Behind the design: The Coronation Masterpiece that’s already SOLD OUT!
The ‘Masterpiece’ is undoubtedly a flagship specification for Westminster collectors that truly lives up to the name.
Authorised to commemorate King Charles III’s Coronation, the masterpiece coin is struck from 5 ounces of Pure Silver to a pristine proof finish. The exquisite design pays tribute to the Coronation Regalia that will be used when the ceremony takes place on 6th May.
A closer look at the design…
The reverse features a beautiful heraldic design by Quentin Peacock. It takes inspiration from the regalia and Crown Jewels which are integral to the Coronation ceremony. The six windows showing each item represent the stained glass at Westminster Abbey.
The Crown Jewels are undeniably the most complete collection of royal regalia in the world. At the heart of the Crown Jewels is obviously the Coronation Regalia, sacred objects used in the coronation ceremony. So the six treasures featured on the Masterpiece Coin are:
- Sovereign’s Sceptre – This sceptre represents the sovereign’s spiritual role, with the dove symbolising the Holy Ghost. Traditionally it has been known as ‘the Rod of Equity and Mercy’.
- Sword of Offering – one of the objects with which the sovereign is invested during the coronation ceremony.
- St Edwards Crown – the crown used at the moment of coronation. A solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines. The crown has a velvet cap with an ermine band.
- Eagle-shaped Ampulla – used to hold the consecrated oil with which a sovereign is anointed during the coronation ceremony. It’s cast in the form of an eagle with outspread wings.
- Sovereign’s Orb – a representation of the sovereign’s power. It symbolises the Christian world with its cross mounted on a globe, and the bands of jewels dividing it up into three sections represent the three continents known in medieval times.
- Ancient Coronation Spoon – The Archbishop pours holy oil from the Ampulla into the spoon, and anoints the sovereign on the hands, breast and head. The anointing is the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony, and takes place before the investiture and crowning.
Meet the designer
Quentin Peacock has been illustrating heraldry for fifteen years. During this time, he has created many seals and medal art works. Quentin began illustrating in 1999, having studied Graphic Design and Illustration at university and has subsequently worked on many heraldic commissions over the years.
Credit: The Society of Heraldic Art
A note from the artist: “It has always been my aim to demonstrate how beautiful heraldry can be created digitally and even to look as if it has been hand painted. Digital heraldry will never (and neither should it) replace hand-created heraldic art, but we are in a digital age and the need for professional digital heraldry is growing. It is my intention to make sure that it is done well and even to serve as an inspiration to other artists.”
Striking the masterpiece
The Masterpiece Coin is struck from 5 ounces of Pure Silver and uses selective 24ct Gold-plating to enhance key elements of the design.
This stunning coin has been struck to a beautiful proof finish, the highest quality finish. Creating the mirror-like finish requires immense craftsmanship. The dies used to strike the coin are painstakingly hand finished to sharpen the design and remove any imperfections.
Additionally, the dies are regularly removed from the press and re-polished during production, ensuring every coin is minted to the highest standard.
Shop the King Charles III Coronation Range
And as I mentioned earlier, the incredible Coronation Masterpiece coin has already completely SOLD OUT. However, you can browse the full coronation range here >>
Approved by Buckingham Palace – The Official King Charles III Coronation Coins
A series of coronation coins have been approved by Buckingham Palace – featuring the official British Isles portrait of King Charles III.
Whilst we await for confirmation on a UK coronation coin, Buckingham Palace has approved a series of 50p coins celebrating His Majesty’s upcoming coronation in May.
However, one particular coin has been catching the attention of collectors…
The Dual-Plated King Charles III Coronation 50p
This 50p features the inscription ‘God Save the King‘ and is uniquely plated with a dual-plated finish of silver and 24 carat gold – not something we see very often.
This is the first coin in a brand new British Isles 50p series being issued over the coming months in the lead up to the coronation, all approved by the King himself.
You can add this coin to your collection today for our introductory offer of £4.99 (+p&p) – a saving of £20 – by clicking here.
Meet the obverse designer – Glyn Davies
In anticipation of these coins being issued, we spoke with Glyn Davies – the artist behind the British Isles King Charles III coinage portrait.
He explained that the process of creating our monarch’s portrait took him nearly 6 months. It involved initial sketches, concept sketches, clay models, digital drawings, and even having Raphael Maklouf check over them.
Raphael Maklouf famously designed the United Kingdom’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on our coinage between 1985 to 1997.
Watch or read our full interview with Glyn Davies here >>
King Charles III’s Coronation – what we know so far
With King Charles III’s Coronation (code name Operation Golden Orb) is set for Saturday 6th May, 2023, plans are already in place.
- During the ceremony, the King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.
- The King will be crowned with the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown.
- There will be an extra bank holiday across the UK, on Monday 8th May.
- It’s expected to be shorter and smaller in scale than Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation.
- The King and Queen Consort will travel to Westminster Abbey in the King’s procession, and return to Buckingham Palace in a larger coronation procession, where they will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
- The ceremony is likely to be broadcast live.
