What happens to coins when a monarch dies?

Question

If Queen Elizabeth died, then what would happen to our Australian coins? I know that Prince Charles' face would be put on them, but, unlike Queen Elizabeth, Charles' face would be facing the left. This keeps a long tradition going.

I'm sure that the Aussie Dollar will finally drop because of how ugly our coins are gonna get. /joke. :-)

So, what is the process after Queen Elizabeth dies, and how long will the old coins with Queen Elizabeth's face stay in circulation?

Answer 1

I'm going to assume that Australia has a similar system to the UK.

When the Queen dies no new coins with her head will be minted, those that are not already in circulation (i.e. still at the Royal Mint) will never be issued. However, all coins with her head in circulation will remain so. (Until they resized all the coins in the UK, late victorian shillings and Florins - and those of all other 20th Century Monarchs - were still legal tender as they were the same size as the new five Pence and ten pence coins and worth the same).

Answer 2

they will stop being published and will start being enprinted with the next monarch.

Answer 3

In each of the few countries I've been in, coins stay in circulation indefinitely--and eventually increase in value as collectibles.  So if you have any coins with the YOUNG Queen Elizabeth on them, hang on to them especially.  Since her reign has already been so long, coins with her image may be too plentiful to have much collection value for a long time, but since Charles, on the other hand, may not have a very long reign, coins from it may some day be of great value to your grandchildren.

Answer 4

They will stay in circulation until they are too damaged to circulate or end up in people's collections.  They don't remove them from circulation just because there is a new king.

Answer 5

Nothing happens, they continue to be used as currency, and eventually, like most coins, people  begin to hoard them, and they fall out of circulation for that reason, and then they tend to go up in value, because of their rarity.  

If you look hard enough, you will still find the occasional George VI penny around.

Answer 6

Then my face will be there

Answer 7

Coins with the old image of the deceased monarch will stay in circulation as usual. The image and design of the new monarch will be on the new coinage, so that after a few years, most of the coins will have the correct face.