Coin News
2023 Change Checker Awards – Winners Revealed!
The 2023 Change Checker Awards were opened to celebrate the very best collectors from the past year.
It’s been wonderful to see so many nominations for incredible Change Checkers and Junior Change Checkers – a great dedication to our beloved collecting hobby!
But our well deserved winners have now been selected…
Change Checker of the Year
Jeff Savage has been crowned as our 2023 Change Checker of the Year!
Jeff’s colleague nominated him for Change Checker of the Year saying that he has an impressive coin collection and his knowledge of past coins is second to none. He’s even given coins to friends, colleagues and family members to keep, inspiring them to start their own collections and encouraging the next generation of collectors.
It was even mentioned that Jeff might just be the biggest coin collector in Herefordshire!
Well done Jeff, keep up the good work and spreading the word of collecting!
Junior Change Checker of the Year
Wilf Ross and his brother Hugo have happily accepted the titles of 2023 Junior Change Checkers of the Year!
Wilf nominated himself and his brother for Junior Change Checkers of the year, as they love the collecting hobby and have been eagerly trying to expand their collection in the past year. Hugo and Wilf also said they’ve been talking to their teachers about coins and inspiring them to look out for commemorative issues in their change.
Wilf is aiming to collect every commemorative circulating 50p and £2 coin – good luck with your hunt Wilf!
Both Jeff and Wilf & Hugo will be receiving a personalized engraved Change Checker trophy, a Change Checker bundle of goodies worth £50 AND a year’s subscription to Coin Collector Magazine! A big thank you to All About Coins for gifting the subscriptions for this year’s Change Checker Awards – I think we can all agree it makes a fantastic prize!
2023 Coin Design of the Year
This year, we also asked you to vote for your favourite 2023 UK coin design!
With some incredible UK coins issued this year, it’s hard to chose just one – but the votes are in and it seems there is a clear winner…
First Place: The Flying Scotsman £2
With 17.01% of the votes, the Flying Scotsman £2 is your favourite coin from 2023!
It was issued at the beginning of the year to mark the centenary of world’s most famous locomotive – The Flying Scotsman. It was included in the 2023 Annual Coin Set, meaning collectors have had nearly a whole year to enjoy it’s beautiful design.
Find out more about the Flying Scotsman £2 here >>
Second Place: Bee £1
In second place is one of the coins from the New UK Coinage Set which was released in October – the Bee £1. The long awaited new coins for King Charles III proved incredibly popular with collectors, with their wildlife and nature designs perfectly representing The King’s passion for conservation. Click here to hear what the people of Poole thought of the UK’s New Coinage.
You can find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Third Place: J.R.R. Tolkien £2
The third most popular coin design of 2023 was another £2 from the 2023 Annual Coin Set – the J.R.R. Tolkien £2. It was issued to celebrate legendary fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien and marks 50 years since his passing. Best known for creating The Lord of the Rings books, Tolkien is often referred to as the ‘Father of Fantasy’.
Find out more about the J.R.R. Tolkien £2 here >>
A big thank you once again to All About Coins for supporting us this year and of course a huge congratulations to all of our winners!
We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support in 2023 and hope that 2024 is a fantastic year of Change Checking for you all!
Never miss a UK coin issue!
2023 Change Checker Awards NOW OPEN!
We’re delighted to announce the 2023 Change Checker Awards, in association with All About Coins, are now OPEN!
The Change Checker Awards give collectors the chance to look back at all of the fantastic issues of the year whilst celebrating the very best coin collectors out there.
We’re looking for the 2023 Change Checker of the Year and the 2023 Junior Change Checker of the year and we need your help!
Watch our video below, or continue reading to find out how to enter…
Change Checker and Junior Change Checker of the Year
Nominations are now closed
The victorious Change Checker and Junior Change Checker of the Year will be announced on Friday 8th December.
They’ll each win an exclusive Change Checker Trophy, a bundle of goodies worth £50, AND a year’s subscription to Coin Collector magazine.
UK Coin Design of the Year
To celebrate a fantastic year of UK coins, we also asked you to vote for your favourite coin design from 2023.
Voting is now closed – your favourite coin design will be revealed in our YouTube video on 8th December!
Get your hands on the 2023 Annual Set!
Secure the 2023 UK Annual Coin Set for just £42.99 (+p&p) >>
#AllChange for UK coinage! The FIRST EVER King Charles III Definitive Coins REVEALED!
*** UPDATE – 20th August 2024 ***
Today, it’s been announced that 2.975 million King Charles III Bee £1 coins will enter circulation this week!
The Bee £1 was voted Change Checkers’ favourite design from the New UK Coinage Set which was issued in October 2023, so collectors are sure to be a-buzz with excitement at the thought of finding one in their change.
Let us know in the comments if you manage to find one!
*** UPDATE – November 2023 ***
It’s just been announced that the new Atlantic Salmon 50p will start entering circulation from the end of November 2023! Keep your eyes out for this coin in your change…
It’s #AllChange for UK coinage, as the 1p through to the £2 now have brand new designs to usher in the reign of King Charles III.
Eight new coins have been released – one for each of our circulating denominations – featuring BRAND NEW reverse designs and (for the first time in 70 years) the King on the obverse.
A new era of King Charles III coinage
Although we’ve already seen several commemorative 50p, £2 and £5 coins issued bearing His Majesty’s effigy on the obverse, this will be the first time we’ll see his portrait on the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and £1 – the coins we’ll find in our everyday change.
Our circulating coinage has changed in the past, with different effigies of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse designs and two different reverse designs over the last 70 years. However, this will be the first time that both ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ sides of coins have changed at the same time.
Inspired by wildlife conservation
From the 1p to the £2 coin, we’ve been treated to 8 brand new reverse designs, each featuring iconic British wildlife.
His Majesty is known for his keen interest in wildlife conservation and plant life, having been Patron of The Wildlife Trust since 1977. This passion was a key inspiration for The Royal Mint when designing the UK’s new coinage.
New ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ designs
All of the reverse designs share a common theme – a section showing each coin’s denomination against a background of a stylised logo featuring 3 interlinking Cs, representing King Charles III. We can also see His Majesty’s effigy on the obverse of all 8 coins, the first time he’s appeared on all UK coin denominations.
The new UK 1p coin represents British woodland with a design featuring an adorable dormouse all curled up.
The design on the first King Charles III 2p features an inquisitive red squirrel. Red squirrels are native to the UK, however their numbers have dwindled since the introduction of the grey squirrel in the 1800s, meaning they can be difficult to find in parts of the UK.
Our new 5p coin bears a traditional design of Oak leaves and acorns. The Oak Tree is the national tree of England, and is thought to represent strength and endurance.
The 10p features an image of a capercaillie, a bird from the grouse family that doesn’t appear anywhere else in the UK apart from Scotland.
The animal that features on the new 20p coin is instantly recognisable as a puffin. Often referred to as a ‘sea parrot’, puffins can be found in scattered locations around the coast of Scotland, northern England, South West England and Wales.
Representing British waterways, the new UK 50p features an Atlantic salmon. Dubbed ‘King of the Fish’, Atlantic salmon are usually found in rivers in Wales, Scotland and North and South West England.
Excitingly, this is the first time we’ve seen a different design on the UK £1 coin since the introduction of the 12-sided bi-metalic £1 in 2017. The first King Charles III £1 coin features two bees, a creature synonymous with the British countryside. There are around 25 species of bumblebee and over 240 species of solitary bee in the UK.
Finally, the £2 coin features flowers of the four nations of the UK – a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a daffodil for Wales and a shamrock for Northern Ireland. This design may remind you of the round pound designs from 2013 and 2014 which featured the flowers of the nations.
A special addition for collectors
As well as brand new designs on both sides, these coins also feature a special ‘Privy Mark’ on the obverse – an unusual and potentially collectable feature.
To set these coins apart from those you’ll find in your change, they’ll each feature a small crown next to His Majesty’s effigy on the obverse.
All Change for UK Coinage!
Considering this is the biggest change we’ve seen to UK coinage in decades, we’re expecting a huge collecting rush for New UK Coinage for King Charles III.
What’s more, although these will be the new coins to replace our current circulating coinage, it could be years until they are easily found in your change…
So don’t miss out! Avoid the long wait of finding these coins and make sure you’re one of the first to add this exciting set to your collection, including the special collectable privy mark!
Secure the complete collection for just £32.50 + (p&p) here >>
