1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees Gold Proof (2023–2024)
Circulating version: 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2023–2024 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | 12-Sided £1 Series |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 17.720g · 0.5223 t oz |
| Diameter | 23.0mm |
| Thickness | 2.80mm |
| Shape | Dodecagonal (12-sided) |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King Charles III left, legend and date around.
Two Honeybees, denomination over royal cypher design at left.
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not a sale of this coinWe have no sold price for this coin yet. This range is the middle of what 3 similar coins sold for as issued: the same denomination and metal, struck within 10 years. The lower figure is its metal value today. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £1,300
- £2,500
- £1,600
About the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof
The 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof is a collector 1 pound coin issued from 2023 to 2024 in the 12-Sided £1 series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 17.72g and measures 23.03mm across. Reverse design: Two Honeybees, denomination over royal cypher design at left.
Common questions
How much is the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,570 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees, not the coin found in change. At 17.72g of 91.67% gold it is heavier than the 8.75g mixed circulating coin, so weighing it is the quickest check.
How do I identify the 2023 1 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 17.72g and diameter 23.03mm 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 Pound - Charles III Honey Bees. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Bees £1 is the definitive £1 of King Charles III, one of eight new designs from the 1p to the £2 unveiled in October 2023 on a theme of British plants and animals. It was among the first to be struck when production began on 2 November 2023, and the Royal Mint named its press release that day after it.
The coins are dated 2023 but did not reach the public until the following summer. On 20 August 2024 the Mint announced that 2.975 million had been issued to Post Offices and banks, the first £1 coins in circulation with the King's portrait. A second release of 7.565 million followed alongside the last Elizabeth II £1 coins, and it included 170,000 dated 2025.
The Royal Mint's figures show 10,030,000 dated 2023, none dated 2024 and 62,475,000 dated 2025. The 2023 figure is the second lowest annual total for a 12-sided £1 in the Mint's data, behind the 7,735,000 of 2022.
The reverse shows two bees with the inscription 1 POUND 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 says the design stands for the more than 250 species of bee in the UK, among them bumblebees, mason bees and mining bees, which play a pivotal role in pollinating plants and fruiting trees.
The Mint's specification credits the reverse to the Royal Mint, whose team 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. Its inscription, CHARLES III DEI GRA REX F D and the date, is shorter than on the smaller coins, which have FID DEF. The coin is 12-sided and bimetallic, with alternating milled and plain edges.
Sources
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), 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)
- 2023 / 2025 Bees £1 Coin, Coin Hunter (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 begins production of new £1 coin featuring British Bees, 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)
- £1 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- King Charles' £1 coin Featuring British Bees enters Circulation, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- A Royal Handover: Final Queen Elizabeth II £1 Coins and New King Charles III £1 Coins Create a Buzz in Circulation, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest £1 Coins in 2026, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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