Britain's Royal Mint unveils new coins featuring King Charles III

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Britain's Royal Mint has revealed two new coins featuring the likeness of King Charles III.

The image, created by sculptor Martin Jennings, will appear on newly minted 50p and 5£ coins.

In keeping with British tradition for coins featuring male monarchs, Charles is not wearing a crown and faces left. Coins featuring an image of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, face right and wear a crown. With each successive monarch, the direction of silhouette is changed.

The new coins are inscribed with "Charles III • D • G • REX • F • D," which is a condensed version of the Latin expression "by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith." In a break from tradition, the inscription will feature King Charles' name as it is spelled in English, as opposed to "Carolus," the Latin version.

The reverse side of new 50p coin features an inscription commemorating Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 while the 5£ coins feature two portraits commemorating her life.

The coins, unveiled Thursday, will be available for purchase by collectors next week and are expected to enter circulation before the end of the year. Coins, stamps and other items featuring the portrait of the queen will still remain in circulation.

On Tuesday, the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace stamped mail with Charles' new insignia for the first time.

The cypher features the letters C and R, along with the Roman numeral three, beneath a crown, will eventually appear on British mailboxes, government buildings and on official documents.

Charles' image will also be featured on the Machin Definitive "everyday" stamps that currently feature the queen's image and on a new series of special stamps.

Charles ascended the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8. She was 96 and reigned for 70 years, the longest of any British monarch.