JM Bullion is pleased to offer a range of certified gold coins from the recent era of Royal Succession in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mint saw its first monarch succession in 70 years in 2023 with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne. After 70 years crafting portraits of a single monarch for circulation and bullion coins, The Royal Mint changed its coin designs for the first time in a long time. For many collections, this was the first-ever change.
Introduced in 1987, British Britannia Coins have never featured a monarch other than Elizabeth II on the obverse. As such, there were final issues of Britannia coins in 2023 with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse before the mint transitioned to the first-ever portrait of His Majesty King Charles III on the obverse.
The Royal Mint is no stranger to new monarch portraits on the Gold Sovereign, but the length of Elizabeth II’s reign meant that no monarch other than the Late Queen featured on Sovereigns dating back to the 1950s. As such, there were 2022 Sovereigns struck one final time with a bust of Elizabeth II before giving way to a portrait of Charles III.
Queen Elizabeth II’s final effigy on Royal Mint coinage was created in 2015 by Jody Clark. The fifth-generation portrait of the Queen captured Elizabeth II at the age of 89 wearing the George IV State Diadem. His Majesty King Charles III’s first-generation portrait was created in late 2022 by Martin Jennings and depicts the king in left-profile relief without a crown on his head.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. JM Bullion customer service is available at 800-276-6508, online using our web chat, and via our email address.