Photo: Hugo Burnand-Pool/Getty Images

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales poses for an official portrait to mark his 60th birthday, photo taken on November 13, 2008 in London, England

King Charles IIIcontinues to make change in U.K. circulation.

On Thursday, The Royal Mint released the first photos of the commemorative coins of the 2023 Annual Sets, honoring influential Brits and major cultural anniversaries. The latest collection includes a tribute to the King, who turns 75 next November.

“The sets mark the beginning of a new chapter in numismatic history as the first to feature the new portrait of His Majesty The King,” the Royal Mint wrote onTwitter, posting a photo of the shiny new change, depicting Charles on 5-pound, 2-pound and 50 pence coins.

The Royal Mint

King Charles coins

“The oak leaves represent strength, morale, resistance and knowledge, whilst his favourite garden flowers — delphiniums — reflect his love of nature. The precious-metals editions also include a fitting edge inscription — ‘RESTORING HARMONY WITH NATURE’ — that complements the design,” the Royal Mint said in astatement. The top of the “tails” side of the coin reads “His Majesty King Charles III,” while the bottom is etched with 1948 — his birth year — and 2023.

The 2023 Annual Sets also honors the life and work ofThe Lord of the Ringsauthor J.R.R. Tolkein, the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service, 75 years of the Windrush generation, and the centenary of the Flying Scotsman train. The four tributes are featured among the reverse sides of the 2-pound and 50-pence coins.

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty

A photograph of the head of King Charles III to be used on new coins displayed during the unveiling of the design of King Charles IIIs first coins by the Royal Mint in London, UK, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The King’s portrait which, sculptor Martin Jennings designed to face the opposite direction to his mothers, was approved by the monarch himself and seen by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in a process that kicked off after the Queen passed away. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Royal Mintbegan producingthe first coins featuring King Charles' face in October, which entered circulation earlier in December, slowly replacing the ones featuring the lateQueen Elizabeth II. The flip sides of the coins featured a tribute to the Queen with a design that originally appeared on her 1953 Coronation Crown. It includes the four quarters of the Royal Arms depicted within a shield. In between each shield is an emblem of the U.K. nations: a rose, a thistle, a shamrock and a leek.

Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty

The first pressed King Charles III portrait 50-pence coins in circulation at The Royal Mint Ltd. in Pontyclun, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Coins featuring King Charles III are set to enter use before Christmas in the UK, where they’ll circulate alongside existing ones depicting Queen Elizabeth II.

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According to the mint, 9.6 million of the coins would be released into circulation in honor ofQueen Elizabeth, who died at age 96 on Sept. 8.

TheAssociated Pressreported in September that there are about 27 billion coins in U.K. circulation withQueen Elizabeth’s likeness. The coins remain legal tender and will become gradually replaced as they become worn.

source: people.com