Coins
New pound coin enters production…
The new 12-sided pound coin has gone into production today – a year before it will reach circulating change and the pockets of the public…
The new 12-sided pound coin gone into production today – a year before it will reach circulating change and the palms of keen collectors.
Here's the new £1 coin, designed by 15 year old David Pearce & featuring a symbol from each nation pic.twitter.com/N73BQHmSH7
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) March 18, 2015
The coins have started rolling off the production line at a rate of more than 4,000 a minute as Chancellor George Osborne announced they will enter circulation in March 2017.
The current £1 will be replaced after more than 30 years due to its vulnerability to counterfeiters – approximately one in every 30 £1 coins in circulation is now a counterfeit. The Government have claimed that the new coin, which was announced at Budget 2014, is going to be the world’s most secure coin in circulation.
When the new coin is introduced, there will be a six-month crossover period when the current round pound coins and the new pound coins are both in circulation at the same time.
While the shape of the new coin will evoke the pre-decimalisation period, it masks cutting-edge anti-forgery technology. The Royal Mint says the new pound will combine three features to make it the most secure coin in the world. It uses two colours of metal, has 12 sides and includes the Royal Mint’s anti-counterfeiting technology, adapted from banknotes and embedded in coins for the first time.
The Royal Mint will work with businesses during the introduction phase of the new coin and an awareness and education campaign is planned to help ensure a smooth transition to launch next year.
To find out more about the new £1 coin and its design – click here
If you’re interested…
You can add a truly vintage British coin to your collection – the very coin that inspired the new £1 coin design – the King George VI Thrup’nny Bit.
Take a look at the history of the British crown coin…
Discover the journey of the crown coin and how it became the UK’s flagship £5 commemorative coin…
For more information about the history of the crown coin click here.
Click here to download your own printable version of The History of the Crown Coin.
New coin issued to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday
The Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday Proof £5 coin issued by Jersey
On 21st April, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 90th birthday – the first British monarch ever to do so.
In honour of the occasion a new coin has been issued – featuring a specially commissioned one-year-only birthday portrait.
The coin has been officially approved by Her Majesty the Queen, and proudly displays the royal cypher atop a large “90”. The central design is flanked by the Royal Standard and Union Flags on either side.
But it is the new effigy that will fuel collector demand. Replacing the familiar standard portrait for one year only, renowned sculptor Luigi Badia was tasked with creating a special 90th Birthday engraving of the Queen.
The specially commissioned 90th Birthday effigy by renowned sculptor Luigi Badia.
As you’ll appreciate, that is not a simple process, with an extremely rigorous approval procedure. To give you some idea, the Palace requested three separate revisions until they felt the effigy was perfect.
That’s why special portraits such as this are few and far between and are so popular with collectors.
Luigi, from New York, explains the concept behind the design:
“I was extremely honored to be commissioned to sculpt a brand new portrait to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. I was inspired to use the St Edward’s crown as it captures her sense of duty from when she first wore it during her Coronation in 1953, a sense of duty that she has had through-out her life and reign”
The design process…
The design is intricately engraved onto the die
Careful consideration has to be put into the shape and size of the coin. Luigi painstakingly hand-engraved the design – with the added complication of retaining the typesetting within the circular shape.
The finalised ‘plaster’ engraving is then ready to be reduced down into a die (shown opposite) – which is hardened and used to mint the commemorative coins collectors can own.
Struck to a variety of specifications…
The new coin is to be struck in a range of different specifications, from a face value version right up to a staggering 10oz gold edition – which has already sold out.
And the other coins are likely to prove just as popular – with a highly collectable proof coin, a pure silver coin, and a 1/4oz gold coin amongst those available, there is something to suit everyone.
These coins really do make a fitting tribute to Her Majesty, and the stunning 90th birthday portrait marks them out as truly prestigious commemoratives to forever remember this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Special proof coin available now… 
If you want to mark the occasion you can add a Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday Proof £5 Coin to your collection today.