Unusual Copper/Rose Gold Outer Ring on 2025 King Charles III £1 Bee Coin - Mint Error or Alloy Variant?

[Andy 1992]

 

Post:
Hi everyone,

I recently found this 2025 King Charles III "Bee" £1 coin in my change and noticed it looks starkly different from my other copies.

I have attached side-by-side photos comparing it to a standard 2023 £1 coin. As you can see, the outer nickel-brass ring on my 2025 coin has a very distinct, vibrant copper/rose-gold tone instead of the usual pale gold finish.

This copper coloring is completely uniform across the entire outer ring on both the obverse and reverse sides. It doesn't look like patchy environmental damage or staining, as it has a clean luster and extends evenly through the texturing.

Has anyone else come across this specific color variation in the 2025 batch yet? Could this be a blank/alloy composition shift or a sintering/plating anomaly from the Royal Mint? Any insights into what caused this or if it carries a collector premium would be greatly appreciated!

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[Chris Perkins]

.heic pics don't work here, here are jpg versions.

The first thing to do would be to get a very accurate weight and compare that to normal ones, which should all be 8.75g. 

It certainly looks very coppery for brass. It could well be an error and the wrong alloy has been used or there has been a mishap with its treatment along the journey of it becoming a coin.

If the weight and size are about the same as normal, another fairly cheap and easy thing to do is use a coin slide (with powerful magnets under a felt strip) to see if it slides down at the same speed as a normal one.

And the ultimate way of checking it out is to use an XRF machine to tell you the exact composition of the metal ring. 

Edit: Another easy test is to put a magnet against it, just i case the coppery part is copper plated steel, as used for 1p and 2p.

Edited 1 hour ago by Chris Perkins