Britain’s favourite £1 coin – Vote now
As part of the Great One Pound Coin Race, we want to find out Britain’s favourite £1 coin.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be asking you to vote for your favourite £1 designs from each design category – UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
Let us know your favourite UK £1 coin design by voting in our poll below:
More information about the UK £1 coin designs
The UK Royal Arms £1 was issued in 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2008
The £1 Coin was first issued in 1983 as a replacement for the less robust £1 note – a note lasted for just 9 months on average, while a £1 coin can survive in excess of 40 years. The first £1 coin design features the Royal Coat of Arms designed by Eric Sewell, chief engraver at the Royal Mint.
The UK Crowned Shield £1 was issued in 1988
In 1988 a Crowned Royal Shield of Arms design was introduced. This design features the Royal Arms of Her Majesty The Queen, surmounted by the Crown of St Edward. All coins dated 1988 feature this design as this was the only year it was issued.
The UK Royal Arms Shield was issued in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In 2008 a new reverse design for the £1 was issued featuring the Royal Shield of Arms – designed by Timothy Noad. The edge inscription in Latin reads DECUS ET TUTAMEN which translates as; An Ornament and a Safeguard. This dates back to the first machine struck coins minted in 1662 and refers to the inscription itself which was intended to prevent people scraping valuable metal off the edge of the coin – a process known as ‘clipping’.
The UK Royal Coat of Arms was issued in 2015
In 2015 The Royal Mint revealed a new £1 Coin design. Timothy Noad’s contemporary adaptation of the traditional Royal Arms design is one of the last commemorative designs to feature on the round pound coin, with the newly shaped coin due to enter circulation in 2017.
The UK Last Round Pound was issued in 2016
This 2016 £1 coin is the final ‘round pound’ issued by the Royal Mint, calling time on a coin which was first issued more than thirty years ago. The reverse design features the animals that represent each of the four constituent UK countries and was designed by Gregory Cameron. This coin will not enter general circulation and is only available to buy in a Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
Next week- Part 2: What’s your favourite Scottish £1 coin design?
This could be your last chance to secure Britain’s last ’round pound’.
If you want to get your hands on the last ‘round pound’ they are available here protectively encapsulated and certified as superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
2015 uk pound coin the best
I like the last round pound. It’s got everything on it. I think I’ve got all the pound coins awaiting the new coin to come out
UK coat of arms for me. I love the way the lion and the unicorn are half looking at each other saying hey you get off my coin. lol
The last round pound coin has to be my choice as it ends an era of which I grew up with, and now makes space for the youth
My favourite £1 coin is the ‘Crowned Royal Shield of Arms’ for mainly two reasons. 1) It’s uniqueness. A very special one-off for anyone’s collection & 2) I was 21 in the year it was produced, and as such made my birthday even more special !
Marks a special year for me and my partner . The year our first child was born.
This, for me, had to be the favourite as it started my coin collecting. I left school in the same year and so heralded my independence. Since finding out that the “round pound” would be withdrawn, I doubled my efforts to collect them all, and have.