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1h ago

Royal Mint Releases Final Queen Elizabeth II £1 Coins Alongside New King Charles Issue

The Mint will keep coins with the late Queen’s portrait in use to ease the effigy transition, cutting costs.

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Overview

  • From today, 30.855 million £1 coins enter circulation: 23.29 million with Queen Elizabeth II (dated 2022) and 7.565 million with King Charles III, including 170,000 dated 2025.
  • The Royal Mint says the 2022-dated Queen Elizabeth II £1 coins are the rarest £1 coins currently in active circulation.
  • The new King Charles III £1 coin carries a bee design on the reverse as part of the Definitive collection inspired by British flora and fauna.
  • All coins bearing Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait remain legal tender, with co-circulation intended to support a gradual changeover.
  • Since the King’s effigy was introduced in 2023, only the 50p and £1 have entered circulation with his portrait; 2.975 million £1s were issued last August, and King-design coins make up about 0.004% of roughly 24.7 billion coins in use.