Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. Reigning for 70 years and 214 days, Elizabeth was the longest-serving British monarch, and had the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history. (Queen Victoria [1837 – 1901] was on the throne for a mere 63 years and 216 days.) Elizabeth II’s successor is her eldest son, Charles. Just shy of his 74th birthday and taking the regnal name Charles III, he is the oldest person ever to assume the British throne.
Faithful readers may remember my post entitled “Long Live the Queen!” which appeared back on March 18, 2017. I invite you to read, or re-read, that blog. It’s subject was how my hobby of coin collecting included commemorative issues that celebrated milestones in Elizabeth II’s long life. This is a brief update on that topic.
The photo below is a collage of the coins I amassed during the late Queen’s reign, along with one about the House of Windsor, and another issued soon after her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away, in 2021.
I was looking forward to obtaining an example of the first coin picturing King Charles III to be made available by the Royal Mint. Even though Charles’s coronation has yet to take place, the Mint released another commemorative celebrating Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse of the coin bears the dates of her birth and death, plus side-by-side images of her in her youth and her mature years.
The coin’s obverse shows Charles III’s official portrait. Something I hadn’t known was that it is the custom in Britain to show the former and successor monarch’s profiles in opposite directions. Thus, Elizabeth always faced to the right, while Charles will face left. (The coin above is an obvious exception to the practice.)
Charles III won’t be monarch for as long as was his mother. Still, one can still hope that a series of interesting coins illustrating the new king’s reign will be minted.
I hope you find this an interesting subject. Let me know what you think about it!
Rob's Big Blog 