The last batch of £1 coins featuring Queen Elizabeth II is now entering circulation in the UK, marking the end of an era in British coinage history.
The Royal Mint has announced that more than 23 million coins dated 2021 and 2022 will soon appear in tills and wallets. These coins were minted before the Queen’s death in September 2022, but they are being released now because of the rising demand for £1 coins.
Alongside these, an additional 7.5 million £1 coins featuring King Charles III will also enter circulation. The King’s portrait first appeared on coins in 2023, but so far, only the 50p and £1 coins have been issued to the public.
Rebecca Morgan, the Royal Mint’s director of commemorative coins, called the moment a “physical representation of the monarchy’s transition.” She added that finding these coins in your change could spark an interest in coin collecting, especially since some of them will become quite rare.
The 2022 Queen Elizabeth II £1 coins are expected to be the rarest, with only 7.7 million of them being released.
The new £1 coins with King Charles III feature an intricate bee design on the tails side, reflecting the King’s passion for nature. This is one of eight new designs planned for UK coins, which will showcase the country’s wildlife, including the red squirrel, puffin, and dormouse.
Although the new coins are the same size and shape as the old ones, they include larger numbers to help children identify values and learn to count.
The release of these coins comes more than two years after the Queen’s passing, but the Royal Mint says they were held back because there were already enough coins in circulation. The UK currently has about 24.7 billion coins, and King Charles III coins make up only 0.004% of that total so far.
All coins with Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender and will circulate alongside those of King Charles III for many years. Typically, coins stay in use for around 20 years, so people will continue to see both monarchs on coins for decades.
The Royal Mint, based in Llantrisant, Wales, has produced coins for every British monarch since the time of Alfred the Great—making this transition another historic milestone.
