A new chapter in the UK's coinage history has just been announced by the Royal Mint!
The UK is releasing the last set of £1 coins with Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, dated 2021 and 2022.
Royal Mint recently stated that the final £1 coins are the scarcest coins currently in use and will be the last ever to feature her image.
All coins that show Queen Elizabeth will still be valid for spending in the UK and will continue to circulate alongside 7.5 million newly released coins bearing King Charles III.
Coins with King Charles' portrait will start being used by the public soon and so far only the 50p and £1 versions have been released since his image began appearing on UK money in 2023.
Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said in a statement, noting, "As we release more of the King Charles III £1 coins into circulation alongside the final coins of Queen Elizabeth II, we're witnessing the physical representation of our monarchy's transition," as per BBC.
Out of the roughly 24.7 billion coins currently being used in the UK, only a very tiny fraction, about 0.004%, feature King Charles which makes his new coins rare and especially attractive to collectors.
Almost three million £1 coins with King Charles' portrait were issued in August last year which features a detailed design of a bee on the back.
The coins are part of a special series inspired by British plants and animals found in the British Isles.
These coins are the same size as before but have bigger numbers to help children learn to count.
These changes came after Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022 and King Charles III’s accession to the throne.
