1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse Gold Proof (2023–2024)
Circulating version: 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2023–2024 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Face value | 1p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 6.980g · 0.2057 t oz |
| Diameter | 20.3mm |
| Thickness | 1.50mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King Charles III left, legend and date around
Hibernating Hazel dormouse over leaves, denomination over royal cypher design at left.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof
The 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof is a collector 1 penny coin issued from 2023 to 2024, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 6.98g and measures 20.32mm across. Reverse design: Hibernating Hazel dormouse over leaves, denomination over royal cypher design at left.
Common questions
How much is the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £618 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse, not the coin found in change. At 6.98g of 91.67% gold it is heavier than the 3.56g copper circulating coin, so weighing it is the quickest check.
How do I identify the 2023 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 6.98g and diameter 20.32mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 1 Penny - Charles III Hazel Dormouse. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Hazel Dormouse 1p is the definitive 1p of King Charles III. It is one of eight new designs, covering every denomination from the 1p to the £2, that the Royal Mint unveiled on 12 October 2023 to replace the Royal Shield designs introduced in 2008. All eight show plants and animals of the United Kingdom, a theme the Mint ties to the King's interest in conservation.
The Royal Mint's figures show 600,000 dated 2023 struck for circulation and none dated 2024. That is the lowest circulating figure for any 1p in the Mint's data, which starts in 1971. The next lowest is 30,000,000 for 2022, and no 1p coins at all were struck for circulation in 2018 or 2019.
Being struck is not the same as being released. The Mint says the 1p is not currently in circulation and will only enter circulation if there is demand. When the King's first 10p coins were released in August 2026, the Mint listed the 5p, 50p, £1 and 10p as the denominations bearing his portrait that had reached circulation. The 1p was not among them.
The reverse shows a dormouse with the inscription 1 PENNY and a large numeral, set against a repeating pattern of three interlocking C's that runs across all eight coins and refers to the cypher of Charles II. The Royal Mint calls the hazel dormouse, small in stature, a fitting presence on the 1p. It is found mostly in southern England, in counties such as Sussex, Devon and Kent, and its UK population has halved since 2007. More than 1,000 have been reintroduced in 13 counties to reverse the decline.
The Mint credits the reverse to its own team, which worked with the Royal Mint Advisory Committee and external artists, with support from the RSPB and the Royal Horticultural Society. The obverse carries the King's coinage portrait by Martin Jennings with the inscription CHARLES III DEI GRA REX FID DEF and the date. The coin is copper-plated steel with a plain edge.
Sources
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2023 / 2024 Hazel Dormouse 1p, Coin Hunter (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest 1p and 2p Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of two pound, one pound, fifty pence, twenty pence, ten pence, five pence, two pence and one penny coins, notice 4456084, 13 October 2023, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Royal Mint unveils new coins of the nation, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- By Royal Approval: The United Kingdom's New Definitive Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The United Kingdom Brilliant Uncirculated First and Last Coin Sets, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest Denominations from the £2 to the 1p, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- King Charles III's First 10p Coins Enter Circulation, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2023 Definitives: His Majesty King Charles III's First Definitive Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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