Yahoo Finance New King Charles coins divide the public
Some Aussies have called the new coins “just wrong”, while others say they “hate” them.
The first coins featuring the face of King Charles III are now popping up in cash registers across the country and Aussies have mixed feelings about the new look.
The gold $1 coin is the first to use the new monarch’s effigy, with 3.5 million coins featuring the King entering into circulation in December.
Now Aussies are sharing their thoughts on the new coins after seeing them in person for the first time, with many saying they don’t like them.
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“There's something really off-putting about not seeing Liz [the late Queen Elizabeth II] there like it's been my entire life,” one person wrote. “[I’d] seen a few with George VI on them when I was younger, but mostly in my nan’s coin collection; I've never spent a coin that didn't have [a] bust o' Liz on it.”
“I still forget that we don't have a queen anymore,” another said.
“My hubby got one today and we sat in the car staring at it cos it was just so freaking weird not seeing the Queen,” a third added.
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Others were more blunt, saying they “hate it” and that the new coins were “just wrong” and “awful”. Others joked the new coins were an argument for going cashless, or Australia becoming a republic.
The coin features some major differences to the ones Aussies are used to. In keeping with tradition, King Charles appears on the coins facing left, opposite to Queen Elizabeth, who faced to the right.
Unlike the Queen, King Charles also does not wear a crown in his portrait. This was a personal choice of the King.
When will more King Charles coins roll out?
The $1 coins featuring King Charles are the first to be released to the public and entered circulation in December.
The remaining denominations of coins - $2, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c - will be released progressively in 2024. This will be based on bank demand, the government said, so we don’t have a hard date just yet.
“For most Australians, this will be the first time they have held in their hands a coin with a king,” Assistant Minister for Treasury Andrew Leigh previously said.
“A lot of work has gone into producing these coins. Millions of people will be keen to get their own little piece of history.”
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