The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled coins with the profile of Charles III

The first batch will be in circulation as early as December.

The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled the first coins featuring King Charles III on Tuesday at its production facility in Winnipeg. It usually takes between a year and 18 months to roll out a new design on coins, now a little more than six months since the coronation. The first batch of the new coins will enter circulation as early as December this year.

Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Mint, commented on the new design during the gala event:

"This is a big day for us at the Mint. Today, a new chapter in Canadian history begins."

According to long-standing tradition, the King's profile faces to the left, in contrast to the direction in which his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, looked. This change of direction is intended to separate the reign of one monarch from another.

During the 10-minute ceremony, Lemay activated a special machine to mint the very first CA$ 1 coin featuring the profile of King Charles III.

Although Canada, a formal subordinate of the British crown, is not required to depict the monarch on its money, the tradition dates back to 1908, when the Mint began issuing such coins during the reign of King Edward VII. Alex Reeves, a spokesman for the Mint, said there was no significant cost to develop the design and launch it:

"Replacing dies to keep supplying the marketplace with new coins and engraving new designs on coins are routine aspects of our operations."

After the government announced the new design, the Mint invited more than 350 Canadian artists and engravers from its database to submit portfolios to its internal expert panel. The final design was sent to Buckingham Palace for approval.

In addition to coins, Charles III's profile will also appear on the twenty-dollar bill.

The last time the Mint changed Canadian coins to honor a new monarch was 70 years ago, after the coronation of the late Queen.