One pound coin
The British one pound coin is a denomination of sterling coinage. Its obverse has featured the profile of Charles III since 2024 and bears the Latin engraving CHARLES III D G REX F D, which means 'Charles III, by the grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith'.
The original, round £1 coin was introduced in 1983. It replaced the Bank of England £1 note, which ceased to be issued at the end of 1984 and was removed from circulation on 11 March 1988, though still redeemable at the bank's offices, like all English banknotes. One-pound notes continue to be issued in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and by the Royal Bank of Scotland, but the pound coin is much more widely used. A new, dodecagonal design of coin was introduced on 28 March 2017 and both new and old versions of the one pound coin circulated together until the older design was withdrawn from circulation on 15 October 2017. After that date, the older coin could only be redeemed at banks, although some retailers announced they would continue to accept it for a limited time, and it remained in use in the Isle of Man.
The main purpose of redesigning the coin was to combat counterfeiting. As of March 2014 there were an estimated 1,553 million of the original nickel-brass coins in circulation, of which the Royal Mint estimated in 2014 that just over 3% were [|counterfeit]. The new coin, in contrast, is bimetallic like the current £2 coin, and features an undisclosed hidden security feature called "iSIS".
The current 12-sided pound coins are legal tender to any amount when offered in repayment of a debt; however, the coin's legal tender status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions.
The sovereign coin also has a nominal value of one pound, and remains legal tender for this amount, although the value of the gold it contains is now substantially greater than its nominal value, and so it is no longer in day-to-day circulation as currency.
Design
To date, four different portraits of Elizabeth II have appeared on the obverse. For the first three of these, the inscription was, where 2013 is replaced by the year of minting. The fourth design, unveiled in March 2015, expanded the inscription slightly to. The 12-sided design, introduced in March 2017, reverted toIn summary:
- In 1983 and 1984 the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin appeared on the obverse, in which the Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" Tiara.
- Between 1985 and 1997 the portrait by Raphael Maklouf was used, in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem.
- Between 1998 and 2015 the portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley was used, again featuring the tiara, with a signature-mark below the portrait.
- In 2015 the portrait by Jody Clark was introduced, in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem, with a signature-mark below the portrait.
The design of the reverse of the original coin was changed each year from 1983 to 2008 to show, in turn, an emblem representing the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England, together with an appropriate edge inscription. This edge inscription could just as often be "upside-down". From 2008, national-based designs were still minted, but alongside the new standard version and no longer in strict rotation. The inscription ONE POUND appeared on all reverse designs.
In common with non-commemorative £2 coins, the round £1 coin had a mint mark: a small crosslet found on the milled edge that represents Llantrisant in South Wales, where the Royal Mint has been based since 1968.
The reverse of the new 12-sided, bimetallic pound coin, introduced on 28 March 2017, was chosen by a public design competition. The competition to design the reverse of this coin was opened in September 2014. It was won in March 2015 by 15-year-old David Pearce from Walsall, and unveiled by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne during his Budget announcement. The design features a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock bound by a crown.
In October 2023 the King Charles III one-pound coin was presented; the coin features bees.
Mintage figures
Round coin
Mintage figures below represent the number of coins of each date released for circulation. Mint sets have been produced since 1982; where mintages on or after that date indicate 'none', there are examples contained within those sets.| Year | Name | Design | Nation represented | Edge inscription | Translation | Mintage |
| 1983 | Royal Arms | Ornamental royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 443,053,510 |
| 1984 | Thistle | Thistle and royal diadem | Scotland | NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT | No one attacks me with impunity | 146,256,501 |
| 1985 | Leek | Leek and royal diadem | Wales | PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD | True am I to my country | 228,430,749 |
| 1986 | Flax Plant | Flax plant and royal diadem | Northern Ireland | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 10,409,501 |
| 1987 | Oak Tree | Oak tree and royal diadem | England | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 39,298,502 |
| 1988 | Shield of the Royal Arms | Crown over the royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 7,118,825 |
| 1989 | Thistle | Thistle and royal diadem | Scotland | NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT | No one attacks me with impunity | 70,580,501 |
| 1990 | Leek | Leek and royal diadem | Wales | PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD | True am I to my country | 97,269,302 |
| 1991 | Flax Plant | Flax plant and royal diadem | Northern Ireland | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 38,443,575 |
| 1992 | Oak Tree | Oak tree and royal diadem | England | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 36,320,487 |
| 1993 | Royal Arms | Ornamental royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 114,744,500 |
| 1994 | Lion Rampant | Lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory | Scotland | NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT | No one attacks me with impunity | 29,752,525 |
| 1995 | Dragon | Dragon passant | Wales | PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD | True am I to my country | 34,503,501 |
| 1996 | Celtic Cross and Torc | Celtic cross, Broighter collar and pimpernel | Northern Ireland | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 89,886,000 |
| 1997 | Three Lions | Three lions passant guardant | England | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 57,117,450 |
| 1998 | Royal Arms | Ornamental royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | not circulated |
| 1999 | Lion Rampant | Lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory | Scotland | NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT | No one attacks me with impunity | not circulated |
| 2000 | Dragon | Dragon passant | Wales | PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD | True am I to my country | 109,496,500 |
| 2001 | Celtic Cross and Torc | Celtic cross, Broighter collar and pimpernel | Northern Ireland | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 63,968,065 |
| 2002 | Three Lions | Three lions passant guardant | England | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 77,818,000 |
| 2003 | Royal Arms | Ornamental royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 61,596,500 |
| 2004 | Forth Railway Bridge | Forth Railway Bridge surrounded by railway tracks | Scotland | An incuse decorative feature symbolising bridges and pathways | rowspan="4" | 39,162,000 |
| 2005 | Menai Straits Bridge | Menai Suspension Bridge surrounded by railing and stanchions | Wales | An incuse decorative feature symbolising bridges and pathways | 99,429,500 | - |
| 2006 | Egyptian Arch Railway Bridge | Egyptian Arch Railway Bridge surrounded by railway station canopy dags | Northern Ireland | An incuse decorative feature symbolising bridges and pathways | 38,938,000 | - |
| 2007 | Millennium Bridge | Gateshead Millennium Bridge surrounded by struts | England | An incuse decorative feature symbolising bridges and pathways | 26,180,160 | - |
| 2008 | Royal Arms | Ornamental royal arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 3,910,000 |
| 2008 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 43,827,300 |
| 2009 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 27,625,600 |
| 2010 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 57,120,000 |
| 2010 | London | Coat of arms of the City of London | England | DOMINE DIRIGE NOS | Lord, guide us | 2,635,000 |
| 2010 | Belfast | Coat of arms of Belfast | Northern Ireland | PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS | For so much, what shall we give in return? | 6,205,000 |
| 2011 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 25,415,000 |
| 2011 | Cardiff | Coat of arms of Cardiff | Wales | Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN | The red dragon will give the lead | 1,615,000 |
| 2011 | Edinburgh | Coat of arms of Edinburgh | Scotland | NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA | In vain without the Lord | 935,000 |
| 2012 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 35,700,030 |
| 2013 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 13,090,500 |
| 2013 | Rose and Oak | Oak and Tudor rose | England | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 5,270,000 |
| 2013 | Leek and Daffodil | Leek and daffodil | Wales | PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD | True am I to my country | 5,270,000 |
| 2014 | Flax and Shamrock | Shamrock and flax plant | Northern Ireland | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 5,780,000 |
| 2014 | Thistle and Bluebell | Thistle and bluebell | Scotland | NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT | No one attacks me with impunity | 5,185,000 |
| 2014 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 79,305,200 |
| 2015 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 29,580,000 |
| 2015 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 75,000 |
| 2015 | Royal Arms | The Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 129,616,985 |
| 2016 | Shield of the Royal Arms | The shield from the Royal Coat of Arms | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | 30,000 |
| 2016 | Last Round Pound | Four heraldic beasts | United Kingdom | DECUS ET TUTAMEN | An ornament and a safeguard | Not circulated |
All years except 1998 and 1999 have been issued into circulation, although the number issued has varied enormously – 1983, 1984 and 1985 in particular had large mintages to facilitate the changeover from paper notes, while some years such as 1988 are only rarely seen. Production since 1997 has been reduced as a result of the introduction of the circulating two pound coin.
The final round coins minted for 2016 and the 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms fifth portrait did not enter circulation, as they were only available through commemorative sets. These were the shield from the Royal Coat of Arms by Matthew Dent, and a design by Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, of four heraldic beasts.