King Charles personally intervened to change 'unlucky' pound coin design
The King was hailed for his attention to detail in the new design
PA
King Charles has been praised for personally intervening in an "unlucky" design on Britain's new £1 coins.
The Royal Mint had unveiled the new raft of coins at the end of 2023 - the first in day-to-day circulation to bear the image of King Charles in the wake of the Queen's death.
The coins had won plaudits for their references to the flora and fauna of the UK, a nod to the King's noted passion for environmentalism.
And now, the Mint's key craftsmen have opened up on the King's role in designing the coinage - from one-pence pieces to two-pound coins.
The King objected to a design on the reverse of the new £1 coin
PA
The Royal Mint had unveiled the new raft of coins at the end of 2023
Royal Mint
"Charles felt that the C at the bottom looked like an upside-down horseshoe and looked a bit unlucky," Gordon Summers said
Getty
Alongside the nods to nature, all eight coins contain a repeated pattern of three interlocking Cs, inspired by Stuart-era cash - coinage under Charles II featured a similar double-C design.
The triplet of Cs represent "crown, community and conservation" - the three themes of King Charles's coronation address.
Gordon Summers, the chief engraver at the Royal Mint, said the Monarch was "heavily involved" in the coins' design.
He told The Sunday Times: "The Cs were originally facing down.
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The King was "heavily involved" in the coins' design
PA"Charles felt that the C at the bottom looked like an upside-down horseshoe and looked a bit unlucky."
The letters were later upturned, with Summers hailing the King, saying: "That's the level of detail he looked at!"
The engraver talked up the importance of the new coinage, saying: "The pound is the iconic coin - In my lifetime, we've only ever had one monarch in circulation.
"The fact we've got the King's coinage in circulation is pretty important. It's a whole new era, really."
Patterns on the coin represent the three themes of King Charles's coronation address
GettySome three million coins bearing the new imagery have been issued to post offices and banks across the country.
But in the wake of reports that the Treasury is weighing up killing off one and two-pence coins, Summers told the paper it would be "disappointing" if the King's designs were not required in future.
There have been no new two-pence coins produced by the Royal Mint since 2021, according to their latest figures.
Notably, none were manufactured between 2018 and 2020 - with Britons continuing to move away from physical cash.
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