British one pound coin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article discusses the British one pound circulating coin issued since 1983, only. For earlier coins worth one pound, please see the articles on the Sovereign, Broad, Laurel, and Unite.
| One Pound (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Value: | 1.0 Pound sterling |
| Mass: | 9.5 g |
| Diameter: | 22.5 mm |
| Thickness: | 3.15 mm |
| Edge: | Milled with incuse lettering |
| Composition: | 70% Cu, 24.5% Zn, and 5.5% Ni |
| Years of Minting: | 1983–Present |
| Catalog Number: | - |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design: | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer: | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design Date: | 1994 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design: | Three Lions Passant |
| Designer: | Norman Sillman |
| Design Date: | 1997 |
The circulating British one pound (£1) coin is minted from a nickel-brass alloy of approximately 70% copper, 24.5% zinc, and 5.5% nickel. The coin weighs 9.50 grams (0.34 oz) and has a diameter of 22.50 millimetres (0.89 in.).
The coin was introduced in 1983 to replace the Bank of England one pound note, which ceased to be issued at the end of 1984 and was removed from circulation (though still redeemable at the Bank's offices) on 11 March 1988. One pound notes are still issued in Jersey, Guernsey and by the Royal Bank of Scotland, however the pound coin is much more widely used. It was at first given by some the nickname of a 'Maggie', after Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister at the time, as it was "hard, thick, had rough edges and thought it was a sovereign".
The £1 coin has the standard obverse designs used on all contemporary British coins, namely the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin in 1983 and 1984, by Raphael Maklouf between 1985 and 1997, and by Ian Rank-Broadley since 1998. All have had the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D date.
An interesting feature of this denomination is that the design of the reverse of the coin changes each year to show, in turn, an emblem representing the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England, together with an appropriate edge inscription. The inscription ONE POUND appears at the bottom of all reverse designs.
The reverse designs are as follows.
 |
1983: Ornamental royal arms.
|
 |
1984: Thistle sprig in a coronet, representing Scotland.
|
 |
1985. Leek in a coronet, representing Wales.
|
 |
1986: Flax in a coronet, representing Northern Ireland.
|
 |
1987: Oak tree in a coronet, representing England.
|
 |
1988: Crown over shield.
|
| 1989: As 1984. 1990: As 1985. 1991: As 1986. 1992: As 1987. 1993: As 1983. |
|
 |
1994: Lion Rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory, representing Scotland.
|
 |
1995: Welsh dragon.
|
 |
1996: Celtic cross and pimpernel, representing Northern Ireland.
|
 |
1997: Three lions passant guardant, representing England.
|
| 1998: As 1983. Issued in collectors' sets only, not for circulation. 1999: As 1994. Issued in collectors' sets only, not for circulation. 2000: As 1995. 2001: As 1996. 2002: As 1997. 2003: As 1983. |
|
 |
2004: Forth Bridge (Scotland).
|
 |
2005: Menai Suspension Bridge (Wales). First sighted 4th November 2005.
|
 |
2006: MacNeill's Egyptian Arch at Newry (Belfast–Dublin railway line, Northern Ireland).
|
 |
2007: Millennium Bridge, Newcastle/Gateshead (England).
|
All years except 1998 and 1999 have been seen in circulation, although the number issued has varied enormously – 1983 and 1984 in particular had large mintages to facilitate the changeover from paper notes, while some years such as 1986 and 1988 are only rarely seen (although 1988 is more noticeable as it has a unique reverse). Production since 1997 has been reduced, thanks to the introduction of the circulating two pound coin.
Contents |
[edit] Counterfeiting
It is a very common misconception that all fake pound coins are made of lead, this is far from true as most are made of copper. It is estimated that 1% of £1 coins in circulation are counterfeit [1]. One common method of detecting counterfeits (if the sound of the coin on a table or the colour of the metal doesn't indicate something suspicious) is to check whether the reverse matches the edge inscription for the alleged year – it is extremely common for counterfeiters to get this wrong, Also the writing on the edge may be the wrong font and look very poor.
[edit] Further reading
In an April 1993 The New Yorker article 'Britannia's New Bra Size', Julian Barnes describes the meetings to choose the 1994–1997 reverse designs. This is reprinted in his book 'Letters from London'.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| British coinage | |
|---|---|
| Current | One penny · Two pence · Five pence · Ten pence · Twenty pence · Fifty pence · One pound · Two pounds |
| Commemorative | Twenty-five pence · Five pounds |
| Withdrawn (decimal) | Half penny |
| Withdrawn (pre-decimal) | Farthing · Halfpenny · Penny · Threepence · Sixpence · One shilling · Two shillings · Half crown · Crown · Half sovereign · Sovereign · Guinea |
