Posts Tagged ‘king charles’
Queen Camilla represents King Charles III at this year’s Royal Maundy Service
Maundy Thursday is an Easter tradition dating back to 1622, when Charles II was the reigning monarch. The tradition usually involves the monarch gifting members of the public coins as part of a special ceremony, however this year will be a bit different…
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
On behalf of The King
The annual Royal Maundy Service will take place today at Worcester Cathedral, where Her Majesty The Queen will be distributing the Royal Maundy gifts on behalf of His Majesty The King.
Queen Camilla will be accompanied by Lord High Almoner, Bishop John as the gifts are presented. He said: “It is an honour to be able to welcome HM The Queen to Worcester. This is an immensely special service and I know it will mean a huge amount to those who have been chosen to receive the coins, all of whom will have given years of service to their local communities.”
This isn’t the first time the Maundy Service has been hosted by someone other than the reigning monarch. In 2022, King Charles (then Prince) represented Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Maundy Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. It was believed to be only the fifth time during her reign that Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the service, including its cancellation due to Covid in 2020 and 2021.
Credit: Jason Pix
What coins are awarded?
Ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women specially chosen in recognition of the service they have given to the Church and local community.
Each recipient will be gifted two small leather string purses – one white, one red. The red purse contains ordinary coinage as money (in lieu of the food and clothing that was offered years ago), and the white purse contains specially minted silver Maundy coins with a collective face value of 75p (representing The King’s age).
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
Last year, among the coins in the red purse were the 2023 King’s 75th Birthday £5 and the 2023 Windrush Generation 50p – both of which featured in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. Considering this, it’s possible that commemorative coins from the 2024 Annual Coin Set may be included in this year’s offerings.
The History of Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is a key day during the Easter week which commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper on the day before his crucifixion.
The Royal Maundy Church service takes place each year on this day, and is inspired by the generosity shown by Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples shortly before his death.
Credit: Regina magazine
Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when English monarchs would wash the feet of beggars and offer gifts of food and clothing in imitation of Jesus.
However it was King John who was the first to give to the poor on Maundy Thursday and by the early 14th century, it had become customary for the sovereign to provide a meal, together with gifts of food and clothing.
Sharing the Wealth
For numismatists, the day has added significance in the form of Maundy money, which is given out by the reigning monarch each year at the service.
Credit: Wehwalt via Wikimedia Commons
The tradition of giving out money began with Charles II, with the first set of Maundy coins consisting of a four penny, three penny, two penny and a penny. The coins have remained in much the same form since then, and are traditionally struck in sterling silver.
Have you or anyone you know ever received Maundy Money for your services? Let us know in the comments below!
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Canada’s King Charles III Coin Effigy Revealed!
More than a year after His Majesty King Charles III was officially proclaimed Head of State and Sovereign of Canada, The Royal Canadian Mint have announced the release of their official King Charles III coin effigy.
Credit: Royal Canadian Mint
The news was shared on the 14th November – making for a wonderful birthday treat for His Majesty, who celebrated his 75th birthday that day.
SELL OUT Canada King Charles III 50 cent Coin Roll
The brand new Canadian effigy of His Majesty features on the 50 cent coin, which has been issued in a highly sought-after special collector’s edition Wrap Roll.
Each of the Wrap Rolls include 25 brand new 2023 dated Canada 50 cent coins, which feature a design of the Canadian Coat of Arms on the reverse and – for the first time in seventy years – a new monarch’s portrait on the obverse.
A Special Presentation
The coins are packaged in special, themed illustrated paper wrapping, featuring the official Royal Canadian Mint logo and a stylised band of Fleur-de-lis – a traditional Royal symbol of Canada.
You might not have heard of coin rolls before, but they’re a big deal across the pond, and a highly collectable way to own Canadian coins. Previously, Canadian coin rolls have proved incredibly popular with UK collectors, and we’ve even seen sell outs of our initial allocations of these rolls in the past.
A Canadian Collecting Frenzy
These Canadian 50 cent Coin Rolls are part of the first wave of Canadian coinage that features the new obverse of King Charles III, so it’s currently the only way to secure them for your collection. There were also only 25,000 rolls available worldwide – making them highly sought-after by collectors. So sought-after in fact, that they SOLD OUT at The Royal Canadian Mint within just four days!
We’ve been lucky enough to secure just 500 Canada 50 cent Wrap Rolls for UK collectors, and once they’re gone, they’re gone! So don’t miss out – add these coins to your collection now for just £29.99 (+£3.99 postage) >>
A Major Change for Canadian Coinage
During her incredible 70 year reign, there have been four different obverse portraits of Queen Elizabeth II used on Canadian coinage. The latest portrait change was in 2003 when Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Her Late Majesty made its way onto Canadian coins.
Considering that the obverse of Canadian coinage hasn’t changed in over 20 years, and the fact that we haven’t seen a King on Canadian coins in 7 decades, the introduction of King Charles III’s effigy is sure to cause a stir in the coin collecting world.
The Process of Creating an Effigy
As you might imagine, there are a lot of steps behind the scenes that go into creating a new effigy…
Canada’s new coin effigy was created from Steven Rosati’s winning design, following an invitation to more than 350 artists and engravers.
The process involved each artist/engraver submitting a portfolio of portrait work to be evaluated. These were then shortlisted before a brief outlining mandatory design requirements was given out.
An internal Mint review panel judged submissions based on aesthetics, technical requirements and mass-production suitability before the winning design was submitted for approval from the government and Buckingham Palace.
Once the design was ready, the Mint could begin the engraving and tooling process – producing dies to strike the coins.
Only 500 available for Change Checkers
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King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5
2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.
To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.
In case you missed it…
You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.
A passion for nature
Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.
It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.
He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.
A closer look
As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.
On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.
New UK Coinage for King Charles III
The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>