£1) The one pound coin was introduced on 21st April 1983 (the Queen's 57th birthday). £2) Last year it was estimated that there are 1671m one pound coins in circulation. £3) There are more one pound coins in circulation than £2 coins (479m) or 50p coins (1053m). £4) There are fewer one pound coins in circulation than 20p coins (3004m), 10p coins (1713m), 5p coins (4074m), 2p coins (6174m) or 1p coins (11430m). £5) One pound coins make up 5.5% of all the UK coinage in circulation (but 36% by value). £6) Of all the old one pound coins that have entered circulation, 19% are dated 1983, 6% are dated 1984 and 10% are dated 1985. £7) Only 0.3% of one pound coins are dated 1988 (these show the Royal Shield). £8) No one pound coins entered circulation in 1998, 1999 or 2016. £9) Four different royal portraits have been used on the old one pound coin. £10) In May 2015 it was estimated that 2.55% of UK one pound coins in circulation were counterfeit (compared to 3.03% a year earlier). £11) One good way to spot a counterfeit one pound coin is to hold it upright and spin it round. If the orientation of the obverse and reverse designs is not in line, you've got a fake. £12) The words around the rim can be either way up, this is purely random.
12 facts about the designs on the old one pound coin
£1) The design of the 'tails' side was changed each year from 1983 to 2008 to show (in sequence) an emblem representing the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England (together with an appropriate edge inscription). £2) From 2008 to 2015 the Royal Arms was used each year, plus two additional national designs in 2010/11 and 2014/15. £3) The Royal Mint has produced a list and a full infographic showing all of the UK's £1 Coin Designs - how many can you find in your change? £4) The most common design in circulation is the Royal Arms, which appears on 26% of coins. £5) 29% of coins show 'national plants', 20% show 'national symbols', 9% show 'national bridges' and 0.5% show 'coats of arms of capital cities'. £6) The least common design in circulation is the coat of arms for the city of Edinburgh, minted in 2011 (only 935,000 were made). £7) There are four times as many Welsh leeks as English oak trees in circulation. £8) There are more Menai Bridges than all the other three bridges put together. £9) The legend DECUS ET TUTAMEN (meaning "an ornament and a safeguard") was first used around the rim of pound coins minted in 1983. 60% of one pound coins bear this legend. £10) The unintentionally-appropriate legend PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS (the motto of the city of Belfast) was only used in 2010. £11) Between 2004 and 2007 no words appeared around the rim of a pound coin, only "an incuse decorative feature symbolising bridges and pathways". £12) Last year the 25th (and final) 'round pound' design was struck, but did not enter general circulation. It shows four royal beasts surrounding Edward's crown, and was designed by the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron.
12 facts about the new one pound coin
£1)The new pound coin will be the first 12-sided coin since the threepenny bit, last minted in 1970. £2) The corners are rounded, using ‘radial chords’. Six of the twelve sides are milled, and the alternate six are smooth. £3) Some new one pound coins will show 2016 as the year of manufacture, apparently, despite not coming into circulation until 2017. £4) The 'tails' side of the new one pound coin shows a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock emerging from one stem within a royal coronet. The designer was schoolboy David Pearce from Walsall, then 15, now 17. £5) If Scotland ever leaves the UK, presumably a new design will be required. £6) The new one pound coin is made in Wales. £7) The new one pound coin is bimetallic. The outer ring is gold coloured (nickel-brass) and the inner ring is silver coloured (nickel-plated alloy). £8) The new one pound coin has a "latent image" (like a hologram) which changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number '1' when the coin is seen from different angles. £9) The new pound coin has very small "micro-lettering" on the lower inside rim on both sides of the coin (ONE POUND on the 'heads' side, and the year of production on the 'tails' side). £10) The new one pound coin has a top secret patented High Security Feature built in, "to protect it from counterfeiting in the future." £11) The new one pound coin was first released to collectors, as part of a commemorative set, on 6th March 2017. £12) London banks which'll definitely have the new one pound coin available today: Barclays 2 Churchill Place E14 5RB, Nat West 1 Princes Street EC2R 8BP, Halifax 33 Old Broad Street EC2N 1HZ, HSBC 103 Station Road Edgware HA8 7JJ, Santander 2 Triton Square NW1 3AN, Santander 164-167 Tottenham Court Road W1T 7JE, Santander 57 Streatham High Rd SW16 1PN... and the Post Office at 24/28 William IV Street WC2N 4DL [nationwide list here]
6 facts about the old and new one pound coins
£1) The old one pound coin weighs 9.5g. The new one pound coin weighs 8.75g. £2) The old one pound coin has a diameter of 22.5mm. The new one pound coin has a diameter of 23.43mm from point to point, and 23.03mm from edge to edge. £3) The old one pound coin has a thickness of 3.15mm. The new one pound coin has thickness of 2.8mm. £4) The old one pound coin was 70% copper, 5.5% nickel and 24.5% zinc. The new one pound coin is 76% copper, 4% nickel and 20% zinc. £5) The queen faces right on coins (but left on stamps). King Charles will face left. £6) One pound coins are legal tender in any amount (whereas 50p and 20p coins are only legal tender up to £10, 10p and 5p coins only up to £5, and 2p and 1p coins only up to 20p).
6 facts about the pound coin changeover
£1) A "co-circulation" period exists from 28 March to 15 October 2017. £2) During the co-circulation period, machines should be able to accept both forms of coin (but might not be able to). £3) The legal tender status of the old one pound coin will be withdrawn on 15th October 2017. £4) "Demonetisation" begins on 16 October 2017, from which date businesses are under no obligation to accept the old one pound coin from their customers, but it can still be deposited into a customer's account at most High Street banks. £5) Old one pound coins will be melted down to help make new one pound coins. £6) You have 201 more days to spend your round pounds.
12 facts about the new one pound coin
