Why do kings look left or right at coins?
Whether kings on coins look left or right follows no general rule. In portraits of kings, presidents, and other figures, the direction of gaze can vary depending on the country and era, influenced by design, tradition, and historical conventions. In Great Britain, however, this has become a centuries-old tradition. One king, however, refused to adhere to it.
Hi, it’s Cooper again. 🐾
While looking at coins, I noticed that the heads on them face different directions. Naturally, I wondered if there was a rule behind it. Does a king always have to face a certain direction? Does the direction change with each new ruler? Or is it ultimately up to the artist?
What do “left” and “right” mean in a coin portrait?
Left and right are described from the viewer’s perspective. If a portrait faces left, the face is directed towards the left edge of the coin.
The direction of a profile is primarily part of the design. It depends on the portrait used, the composition of the coin, and the traditions of the respective country. The direction a person is looking says nothing about their rank, value, or importance.
It’s different when a country has developed its own tradition. The most famous example of this can be found on British coins.
Why do British monarchs change their orientation on coins?
Since the time of Charles II in the 17th century, each new British monarch has faced coins in the opposite direction to his predecessor.
The Royal Mint itself points out that the exact origin of this tradition is not definitively established. One possible explanation leads to an extraordinary period in British history. Charles I was followed by the Civil War, the Commonwealth, and the reign of Oliver Cromwell. In 1660, the monarchy was restored, and Charles II ascended the throne. He may have intended to symbolically distance himself from Cromwell and the Commonwealth through the orientation of his portrait.
This explanation hasn’t been proven. Nevertheless, I like it because it shows how much politics can be contained in a small detail. What is certain is that a tradition developed from this change, which continues to this day.
Why does King Charles III look to the left at coins?
Queen Elizabeth II faced right in her coin portraits. King Charles III therefore faces left.
The tradition extends beyond Great Britain. The Royal Canadian Mint has also oriented the Canadian portrait of Charles III to the left, explicitly to continue the traditional reversal of direction. The portrait is by the Canadian artist Steven Rosati. It appears on circulating coins as well as on collector and investment coins such as the Maple Leaf.
An overview of perspectives since George V.
| Monarch | View towards coins |
|---|---|
| George V. | left |
| Edward VIII. | left (only British trial strikes with portrait) |
| George VI. | left |
| Elizabeth II. | right |
| Charles III. | left |
Three consecutive left turns don’t really fit the tradition. The reason for this is Edward VIII.
Edward VIII wanted to look to the left
His father, George V, faced left on his coins. According to the traditional sequence, Edward VIII should therefore have faced right.
Edward, however, insisted on being shown from his preferred left side. According to the Royal Mint, even his hairstyle played a role in this. He felt that his visible parting would soften the otherwise closed hairline. The portrait was therefore taken with him facing left, in the same direction as his father.
Are there any coins of Edward VIII bearing this portrait?
Edward VIII ascended the throne in January 1936 and abdicated in December of the same year. Coins bearing his portrait were never issued in the United Kingdom.
However, trial strikes, known as patterns, had already been produced. Among the rarest is the 1937 Sovereign featuring the left-facing portrait of Humphrey Paget. Only a few examples are known, and most are in national collections. The Royal Mint Museum owns three, one of which is on permanent loan to the British Museum. Another example belongs to the Royal Collection.
George VI continued the tradition
After Edward’s abdication, his brother George VI became king. Visually, one might have expected him to be looking to the right, since Edward VIII was depicted facing left on his trial coins.
George VI, however, also faced left, as if Edward VIII had been depicted facing right, according to tradition. Edward was thus skipped in the sequence. After that, the alternation worked again, and Edward VIII remained the famous exception.
Does the direction the collector is facing have any significance?
The orientation of a portrait does not automatically make a coin rarer or more valuable. However, it can be an important characteristic when identifying a coin’s issue. Especially with historical coins, the portrait, bust shape, and gaze direction can help distinguish between different types.
Sometimes the direction of gaze tells a story that isn’t immediately apparent from the coin. In a modern portrait, left or right might be purely a matter of design. For Charles III, the left-facing gaze is part of a centuries-old British tradition. With Edward VIII, the same question reveals a king who even had precise ideas about his own coin portrait.
Cooper’s conclusion
Next time you see a portrait on a coin, take a close look at the direction the person is looking. Usually, there’s no hidden message. But sometimes, this small detail leads directly into a country’s history.
That’s exactly what I like about coins. You start with a seemingly simple question of left or right and end up with Charles II, Oliver Cromwell, and a king for whom his preferred side was more important than a centuries-old tradition.
Professor Cooper ⭐
Sources
- The Royal Mint: Coinage Portrait Tradition .
- The Royal Mint: Edward VIII and The Coinage That Never Was .
- The Royal Mint: Breaking with Tradition, The Edward VIII Sovereign .
- Royal Canadian Mint: A New Royal Era, The Making of a New Royal Effigy .
Author’s box Cooper
Professor Cooper ⭐
I’m Cooper, a black Labrador and the office dog at RareCoin.Store. In “Cooper’s Collector Questions,” I explore the questions that come to mind for collectors when looking at their coins. Why does a king face left? What does a grading label say? I’m still young, but very curious. 🐾
Cooper is the mascot of our collector’s series. The content is researched and professionally reviewed by our team.
Author box Larissa
Larissa Wasserthal
Larissa Wasserthal is responsible for the content of RareCoin.Store, the online shop of TriaPrima GmbH in Mannheim for certified collector and investment coins. She researches and verifies the articles in the “Coopers Collector Questions” series, primarily using primary sources such as publications from state mints.
RareCoin.Store is an authorized dealer for NGC and PCGS and a member of the German Coin Dealers’ Association, the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the American Numismatic Society (ANS), the Numismatic Consultants and Brokers Association (NCBA) and the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA).
