In 2017, the pound coin was given a new look, shape and metal composition. The round pound was replaced by a 12-sided bi-metallic coin with enhanced security features to make it much harder to counterfeit. Find out more about it and what the change meant for individuals and businesses across the UK.
Secure
12-sided and Bimetallic
The coin's distinctive shape makes it instantly recognisable, even by touch and it is made of two metals. The outer ring is gold coloured (nickel-brass) and the inner ring is silver coloured (nickel-plated alloy).
Latent image
The coin features an image like a hologram that changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number '1' when seen from different angles.
Micro-lettering
It has very small lettering on the lower inside rim on both sides of the coin - 'ONE POUND' on the obverse “heads” side and the year of production on the reverse “tails” side, for example 2017.
Changing Dimensions
The twelve-sided £1 coin is thinner and lighter than its round shaped predecessor with a thickness of 2.8mm and weight of 8.75g. It is also larger than the round pound, with a maximum diameter (point to point) of 23.43mm. The video above created in 2017 when the coin was first released provides more detail.
State of The Art
The coin is produced using cutting-edge technology developed on our site in South Wales.
When it was first released, the coin featured a new design showcasing the English rose, the Welsh leek, the Scottish thistle and the Northern Irish shamrock emerging from one stem within a royal coronet. The design was created by David Pearce who won a public design competition at the age of 15. When King Charles III ascended the throne in 2022, a new design featuring two British bees to reflect His Majesty's passion for nature and conservation appeared on the coin.
When the twelve-sided coin was introduced in 2017, Queen Elizabeth II's fifth coin portrait designed by Jody Clark featured on its obverse side. Following Her Majesty's passing on 8 September 2022, it was replaced by King Charles III's first portrait created by Martin Jennings.
Why Was It Changed and What Happened?
The round £1 coin was replaced for the first time in over thirty years because of its vulnerability to sophisticated counterfeiters. Approximately one in thirty round £1 coins in circulation was a counterfeit. We introduced a new, highly secure coin on 28 March 2017 to reduce the costs of counterfeits to businesses and the taxpayer.
Businesses across the UK upgraded their machines to accept the new £1 coin. Some waited until July 2017 when there were more new £1 coins in circulation than round £1 coins. The legal tender status of the round £1 coin was withdrawn at 23.59 on Sunday 15 October 2017. From this date shops and businesses no longer accepted these coins, but they could still be taken to banks or donated.
Specifications Overview
Diameter: 23.43mm
Weight: 8.75g
Thickness: 2.8mm
Composition:
Outer: Nickel-brass
Inner: Nickel plated brass alloy
Coins of Guernsey, Jersey, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man are not legal tender in the United Kingdom.