5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion (2023–2024)
"Scottish Lion £5"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2023–2024 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 28.280g |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Martin Jennings |
| Rev. artist | Norman Sillman |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King Charles III left, legend around.
· CHARLES III · D · G · REX · F · D · 5 POUNDS ·
A lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory above denomination.
FIVE POUNDS
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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 12 similar coins sold for in circulated condition: the same denomination and metal, struck within 5 years. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £9.99
- £16.54
- £9.50
- £9.00
- £14.01
About the 2023 5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion
The 2023 5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion is a collector 5 pounds coin issued from 2023 to 2024, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: A lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory above denomination.
Common questions
How much is the 2023 5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion worth?
No verified sale of the 2023 5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
What is the Scottish Lion £5?
It is the Scotland coin in The Four Nations: Coins for a Kingdom, a range of £5 base proof crowns that the Royal Mint sold only at The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant. It reuses the lion rampant first seen on the 1994 £1.
Who designed the Scottish Lion coin?
Norman Sillman designed the lion rampant for the £1 coins of 1994 and 1999, according to the Royal Mint, and the £5 reuses his design. The obverse is Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III, used on £5 crowns since 2022.
Is the Scottish Lion £5 legal tender?
Yes. The 2023 proclamation makes the cupro-nickel £5 legal tender for any amount in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mint adds that banks are not required to accept crowns, and this coin was sold as a visitor centre souvenir rather than issued into change.
How many Scottish Lion £5 coins were made?
The Royal Mint has not published a figure. The coin does not appear on its commemorative sales pages, and the Experience page opened gives no issue limit. It was never released into circulation.
How do I identify the 2023 5 Pounds - Charles III Scottish Lion?
Check the weight 28.28g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Scottish Lion £5 is the Scotland coin in The Four Nations: Coins for a Kingdom, a range of £5 base proof crowns that the Royal Mint sold only at The Royal Mint Experience, its visitor centre in Llantrisant. The range has five coins, one for the United Kingdom and one for each country, and four of them reuse Norman Sillman's designs from the £1 coins of the mid to late 1990s.
Sillman's lion rampant first appeared on the round pound in 1994 and was used again in 1999. The Royal Mint's figures give 29,752,525 Lion Rampant £1 coins for 1994, struck for everyday change. This £5 version was made for collectors and visitors instead, and the Mint has not published how many were struck or sold.
The King's version was authorised by a proclamation that came into force on 16 February 2023, which set out all five Four Nations designs for the cupro-nickel £5. A 2020 proclamation had already done the same for Queen Elizabeth II.
The proclamation describes the reverse as a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory, being that quartering of the Royal Arms known heraldically as Scotland, with the inscription FIVE POUNDS. In other words it is the lion of the Scottish quarter of the Royal Arms, set above the denomination.
The obverse carries the portrait of King Charles III by Martin Jennings, with CHARLES III D G REX F D 5 POUNDS and the date. On the £1 coin the edge read NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT; the £5 has a milled edge with no lettering, which the proclamation calls a grained edge.
Collecting notes
A base proof is a proof-quality striking in cupro-nickel. Its reflective surfaces mark easily, so an example that has stayed in its original packaging is worth the extra care.
The coin was sold at the visitor centre rather than as a standard online release. Collectors putting the range together will want the Celtic Cross £5 for Northern Ireland and the Four Nations £5 for the United Kingdom as a whole.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- The Royal Mint Experience Exclusives (archived copy, 24 February 2024), The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of gold coins, silver coins, silver piedfort coins and five pound cupro-nickel coins (notice 4277741, 17 February 2023), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- £1 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of five pound coins in gold, silver and cupro-nickel (notice 3489337, 14 February 2020), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
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