The Royal Canadian Mint unveils the first coins bearing the face of King Charles III
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Toronto, Ontario (CTV Network) — The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled the first coins bearing the face of King Charles III on Tuesday at its Winnipeg manufacturing facility.
Marie Lemay, the president and CEO of the Mint, introduced the effigy that will soon adorn one side of Canadian coins and which will also be pressed onto a loonie for the first time.
“This is a big day for us at the Mint,” said Lemay during the unveiling. “Today, a new chapter in Canadian history begins.”
Lemay said it normally takes between a year to 18 months to circulate a new design on coins. However, the Winnipeg team worked tirelessly to meet the “ambitious timeline.”
To uphold long-standing traditions, the King’s profile faces left, opposite to the direction his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, faced. This change of direction is to differentiate one monarch’s reign to the next.
The description surrounding the King’s effigy is also different, changing from “Regina,” meaning “Queen” in Latin, to “Rex,” meaning “King.”
Another change is that the initials of the artist will also appear on the obverse.
During the 10-minute unveiling ceremony, Lemay activated the machine to print the first $1 coin depicting King Charles III’s effigy.
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