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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Sam Barker

New Royal Mint coin features the Queen and King Charles III - but it'll cost you £83,000

A new Royal Mint £5 coin sets a 1,100-year record by featuring both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III - but it will set you back £83,000.

The £5 "ounce" coin is made of solid gold and weighs 1kg.

For the first time in the Royal Mint's 1,100-year history, it features two monarchs at the same time.

One side features the former Queen, while the other displays a likeness of the current King.

It is so expensive that consumers have to call the Royal Mint up to have one made specially.

But for those without incredibly deep pockets, the good news is the coin is one of a range celebrating the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the new King.

It's a beautiful coin - with a massive price tag (Royal Mint)

The Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Coin Collection range has other coins costing far less.

It features three coins - the 'ounce', the 'crown' and a 50p.

The ounce coin has Queen Elizabeth II on one side and King Charles III on the other.

The £5 crown coin has a portrait of the new King on one side and a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II on the other.

Finally the 50p has the King's face on one side and a design showing all nations of the UK on the other.

Each coin is available in a range of different metals - and this affects the price.

The £5 coin features a new likeness of King Charles III (Jeff Gilbert/REX/Shutterstock)

The cheapest coins are made from cupro-nickel - the same alloy as normal 20p and 50p coins.

But others are made from silver, gold and platinum.

The £5 crown coins cost between £14.50 and £5,770. The ounce coins range between £99.50 and £82,950.

Meanwhile the 50ps start at a wallet-friendly £11, with variants costing up to £2,395.

The new 50p coins are the most affordable - starting at £11 (TOM HARRISON HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

All the coins are available until 9pm on December 31, 2022.

In keeping with tradition, the King’s portrait faces to the left, the opposite direction from his mother who faced right. The Queen’s father, George VI, faced left before her.

Martin Jennings, who designed the King’s effigy, said: “It is the smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and held by people around the world for centuries.”

The 50p and £5 coins can technically be spent in shops, but are meant to be keepsakes of a special point in UK history.

If you try to buy anything these coins will only be worth their 'face value' - unless the seller agrees otherwise.

That means 50p of £5, regardless of what they cost.

The Royal Mint, in Llantrisant, South Wales, has documented monarchs for more than 1,100 years, since Alfred the Great.

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