Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty

The first pressed King Charles III portrait 50-pence coins in circulation at The Royal Mint Ltd. in Pontyclun, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Coins featuring King Charles III are set to enter use before Christmas in the UK, where they’ll circulate alongside existing ones depicting Queen Elizabeth II.

Change is coming to the change of the United Kingdom.

“The first coins bearing His Majesty King Charles III’s portrait are striking as we speak, and you can expect to see 50ps featuring theQueen ElizabethII Memorial design on the reverse side of the coins in your change before Christmas,” the Royal Mint captioned a video of the coins being produced.

“Today is a significant event because we’re changing that monarch for the first time in 70 years. Today, we’re striking the first coins of King Charles III,” Rebecca Morgan of the Royal Mint said in the video shared on social media.

The Royal Mint said there would be 9.6 million of the coins going into circulation in a nod toQueen Elizabeth, who died at the age of 96 on Sept. 8.

But whileQueen Elizabethfaced right, her heir will face the opposite direction on the money.

“He is in this instance looking to the left, his mother looked to the right. Every monarch will be looking in opposite directions to their predecessor,” designer Martin Jennings explained of a tradition dating back to the 1660s.

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth.Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II attend the Royal Company of Archers Reddendo Parade in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Just last month, the Royal Mintunveiled Charles' coin collection, which also salutes his mother.

King Charles “personally approved” the collection coins, The Royal Mint said.

The Royal Mint has created coins for the U.K. for more than 1,100 years, including the coins duringQueen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign.

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty

A 50 pence coin featuring the head of King Charles III displayed next to a five pound commemorative crown piece coin by the Royal Mint in London, UK, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The King’s portrait which, sculptor Martin Jennings designed to face the opposite direction to his mothers, was approved by the monarch himself and seen by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in a process that kicked off after the Queen passed away. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Coins bearing portraits ofQueen Elizabethand King Charles will both circulate in change for years to come, the Royal Mint said.

“When first we used to make coins, that was the only way that people could know what the monarch actually looked like, not in the days of social media like now,” said Anne Jessopp, chief executive of the Royal Mint,according to the AP. “So the portrait of King Charles will be on each and every coin as we move forward.”

A set of memorial coins was also released on Oct. 3 “to mark this poignant moment in British history.”

source: people.com