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.
What do John Lennon and Stamp Collecting have in common?
The much-loved Beatle wasn’t just a talented musician with a great love for music – he also had a passion for stamp collecting…
John Lennon discovered his interest in philately as a child after his older cousin handed him down a partially filled book of stamps.
John Lennon also appeared on a number of stamps himself
The young musician began adding to the album, filling it with stamps taken from letters sent from both the United States and New Zealand.
In 2005 Lennon’s collection was exhibited at The Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington. Despite containing over 500 stamps, Smithsonian curator Wilson Hulme reported that there were sadly no rarities within the collection.
However, the famous Beatles’ ‘lost’ album offers a unique insight into Lennon’s childhood – the title page features a reprinted stamp emblazoned with Queen Victoria and King George VI, on which Lennon doodled a mustache and beard.
If you want to see the album for yourself, you’ll have to take a trip to New York, as it goes on display at the World Stamp Show later this year in May. The show takes place each year at the Javits Convention Centre in New York and brings together stamp collectors, dealers and exhibitors from across the world.
John Lennon has appeared on a selection of stamps over the years. Do you own any of them?
Let us know in the comments below…
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.