Canadian Coronation Medallion Approved by King Charles III
TORONTO, May 2, 2023 /CNW/ - For the coronation of King Charles III, His Majesty has officially approved two different medallion designs exclusively for Canada. Both designs have been engraved by retired Royal Canadian Mint senior engraver Susan Taylor and are being made available to collectors in both silver and bronze. For more than five centuries, there has been a tradition of medals and medallions being issued to mark the coronation of each new British monarch.
The first design features a new single effigy of the King wearing the Imperial State Crown together with the Royal Cypher. The reverse features the May 6th, 2023 date of the coronation together with a wreath of six Canadian maple leaves encircling St. Edward's Crown. Each maple leaf represents the coronation of one of the Kings and Queens of Canada since confederation: Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, and now King Charles III. (There was no coronation for King Edward VIII who abdicated in 1936). St. Edward's Crown is the central motif, as it has been used for the formal coronation ceremony of British monarchs for more than 700 years.
The second design features conjoined double effigies of Their Majesties King Charles III and the Queen Consort Camilla together with the date of the coronation. Since the coronation of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1154, the wife of a King has also been crowned as Queen as part of the coronation ceremony. This included King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (Bowes-Lyon) in 1937, King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, and King Edward and Queen Alexandra in 1902. Medals and medallions featuring the King and Queen are a centuries old tradition.
The single effigy King Charles medallion has been issued in a one-ounce fine silver format with a limited mintage of 3,500 pieces, and in a 37 mm bronze with a mintage of 5,000. The dual effigy medallions are large format ultra-high relief designs struck in five ounces of fine silver with a mintage of just 600 pieces, and in eight ounces of bronze with an antique finish and a mintage of 1,800.
The King Charles III medallions have been struck by the Canadian Heritage Mint and are offered through Canada's largest coin dealer, Canadian Coin & Currency and through Today's Shopping Choice, a division of Rogers Communications. Canadian Coin & Currency president Steven Bromberg says "for most Canadians, this will be the first time they will experience the coronation of a new monarch. These medallions are steeped in history and provide an excellent way to mark a moment in history."
The design of this large format bronze medallion features conjoined double effigies of Their Majesties King Charles III and the Queen Consort Camilla together with the date of the coronation. Since the coronation of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1154, the wife of a King has also been crowned as Queen as part of the coronation ceremony. This included King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth (Bowes-Lyon) in 1937, King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, and King Edward and Queen Alexandra in 1902. Medals and medallions featuring the King and Queen are a centuries old tradition.
SOURCE Canadian Coin & Currency Corp.
Matt Conacher, Creative Director, Canadian Heritage Mint, [email protected]
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