£1 Coin Designs and Specifications

After more than 30 years in the nation’s pockets, the familiar round £1 coin was replaced with an all new, 12-sided £1 coin in 2017. Released on 28 March 2017, the new £1 features a range of overt and covert security features that, when combined, protects it from increasingly sophisticated counterfeit operations, making it the most secure coin in the world.

The final specification of the new 12-sided £1 coin and method of introduction were decided after a ten-week public consultation in 2014. The consultation considered the physical and material characteristics of the coin, as well as the parameters for the transition.

Following the coin’s introduction on 28 March 2017, there was a six-month period when the current round £1 coin and the new 12-sided £1 coin were in circulation at the same time.

Her Majesty’s Treasury and The Royal Mint worked with industry throughout the co-circulation period to introduce the new coin in a manageable way and ensure the smooth return of the old £1 coins.

The round £1 coin lost its legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.

However, the round £1 coin can continue to be deposited into a customer’s account at most High Street Banks in the UK. Specific arrangements may vary from bank to bank, including deposit limits. It is recommended that customers consult with their bank direct.  Round £1 coins can also be donated to a charity.

Issue Date 28 March 2017
Specifications  
Diameter 23.43mm
Weight 8.75g 
Thickness 2.80mm
Composition Outer: Nickel-brass 
Inner: Nickel plated brass alloy
Obverse Designers

2015 to 2022 Jody Clark

2022 to date Martin Jennings

Reverse
Designers
See table below
Edge

Milled

The Round £1 Coin

The United Kingdom coinage is kept under constant review. By 1980, it had become apparent, that with the general decline in purchasing power, the £1 unit of currency was more appropriate to a coin than a banknote. The note was in constant use and, on average, each note only lasted nine months. A coin can last 40 years or more and, with the growth in the vending industry, it was felt that a coin would be more useful.

After consultation with many groups, including retailers and special interest groups, the government announced on 31 July 1981 that a new £1 coin was to be issued on 21 April 1983.

To make it easy to identify, the round £1 coin was thicker than other coins, while its 'yellow' colour allowed it to stand out from the cupro-nickel 'silver' coins already in circulation. The weight of the coin was largely decided based on cost and the need to allow for higher denomination coins in due course.

The reverse designs of the round £1 coin represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent parts:- Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. The first series of designs took floral emblems as its theme, while the second series was heraldic.

The £1 coin is legal tender for any amount.

Issue Date 21 April 1983 - 15 October 2017
Specifications  
Diameter 22.5mm
Weight 9.50g +/-0.260
Thickness 3.15mm
Composition Nickel-Brass 
(70% copper, 5.5%
nickel, 24.5% zinc)
Obverse Designers Portrait of Her Majesty The Queen 
1983-1984 Arnold Machin
1985- 1997 Raphael Maklouf
1998-2015 Ian Rank-Broadley
2015-2022 Jody Clark
Reverse
Designers
See table below
Edge

Milled

For information on the new 12-sided £1 coin, please read our press release about the coin design here.

Coin Image Year of Issue Designer Information
1983 One Pound Coin 1983
1993
1998
2003
2008

Royal Arms, representing the United Kingdom.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Eric Sewell

1984 One Pound Coin 1984
1989

Thistle and royal diadem, representing Scotland.

Edge Inscription: NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT

Designed by: Leslie Durbin

1985 One Pound Coin 1985
1990

Leek and royal diadem, representing Wales.

Edge Inscription: PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD

Designed by: Leslie Durbin

1986 One Pound Coin 1986
1991

Flax Plant and royal diadem, representing Northern Ireland.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Leslie Durbin

1987 One Pound Coin 1987
1992

Oak Tree and royal diadem, representing England.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Leslie Durbin

1988 One Pound Coin 1988

Shield of the Royal Arms, representing the United Kingdom.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Derek Gorringe

1994 One Pound Coin

1994

1999

Lion Rampant, representing Scotland.

Edge Inscription: NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT

Designed by: Norman Sillman

1995 One Pound Coin 1995
2000

Dragon passant, representing Wales.

Edge Inscription: PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD

Designed by: Norman Sillman

1996 One Pound Coin 1996
2001

A Celtic cross, with a Pimpernel Flower in the centre, surrounded by an ancient Torc, representing Northern Ireland.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Norman Sillman

1997 One Pound Coin 1997
2002

Three Lions passant guardant, representing England.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Norman Sillman

2004 One Pound Coin 2004

A representation of the Forth Railway Bridge, inside a border of railway tracks.

Edge Detail: Decorative pattern, symbolising bridges and pathways

Designed by: Edwina Ellis

2005 One Pound Coin 2005

A representation of the Menai Bridge, inside a border of railings and stanchions.

Edge Detail: Decorative pattern, symbolising bridges and pathways

Designed by: Edwina Ellis

2006 One Pound Coin 2006

A representation of the Egyptian Arch Railway Bridge, inside a border of railway station canopy dags.

Edge Detail: Decorative pattern, symbolising bridges and pathways

Designed by: Edwina Ellis

2007 One Pound Coin 2007

A representation of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, inside a border of struts.

Edge Detail: Decorative pattern, symbolising bridges and pathways

Designed by: Edwina Ellis

2008 One Pound Coin

2008-2016

Shield of the Royal Arms, representing the United Kingdom.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Matthew Dent

2010 One Pound Coin

2010

A depiction of the official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom, with the badge of Belfast being the principal focus.

Edge Inscription: PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS

Designed by: Stuart Devlin

2010 One Pound Coin 2010

A depiction of the official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom, with the badge of London being the principal focus.

Edge Inscription: DOMINE DIRIGE NOS

Designed by: Stuart Devlin

2011 One Pound Coin 2011

A depiction of the official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom, with the badge of Cardiff being the principal focus.

Edge Inscription: Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN

Designed by: Stuart Devlin

2011 One Pound Coin 2011

A depiction of the official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom, with the badge of Edinburgh being the principal focus.

Edge Inscription: NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA

Designed by: Stuart Devlin

2013 England £1 Coin 2013

A depiction of the floral emblem of England.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Timothy Noad

2013 Wales £1 Coin 2013

A depiction of the floral emblem of Wales.

Edge Inscription: PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD

Designed by: Timothy Noad

Ireland £1 2014

A depiction of the floral emblem of Northern Ireland.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Timothy Noad

Scotland £1 2014

A depiction of the floral emblem of Scotland.

Edge Inscription: NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT

Designed by: Timothy Noad

2015

A depiction of The Royal Arms.

Edge Inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Designed by: Timothy Noad

2016

The Last Round Pound.

Designed by: Gregory Cameron

 

2017-£1-bu-rev.jpg 2016 - 2022

Nations of the Crown.

Designed by: David Pearce

 

2017-£1-bu-rev.jpg 2022 to date

Definitives 2023 UK &pound.;1

Designed by: Martin Jennings

 

 

Coin Edge Inscriptions

Edge Inscription Translation
DECUS ET TUTAMEN 'An ornament and a safeguard', taken from Virgil's Aeneid
NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT 'No one provokes me with impunity': the motto of the Order of the Thistle

PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD

'True am I to my country', taken from the Welsh National Anthem
PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS 'What shall we give in return for so much': the motto of the City of Belfast
DOMINE DIRIGE NOS 'Lord direct us': the motto of the City of London
Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN ‘The Red Dragon shall lead’: the motto of the City of Cardiff
NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA ‘It is vain without the Lord’: the motto of the City of Edinburgh
Feefo logo