Posts by Change Checker
Everything you need to know about the new 12-sided £1 coin
What coin is changing, and when?
The Royal Mint is issuing a 12-sided £1 coin resembling the old three-penny bit which will enter circulation in March, 2017.
At the moment there are no other plans to change any other circulating coins but Her Majesty’s Treasury and The Royal Mint keep the specifications and denominational mix of UK circulating coins under continual review.
How will the new coin change?
The new £1 coin will feature 12 sides and is billed to become the most secure circulating coin in the world.
They will feature added security features including:
- 12 sides – A non-round design makes it harder to copy, and is already used in our 50p and 20p coins, as well as in coins abroad.
- Two metals – The outside will be nickel-brass, and the inside nickel-plated solid alloy. The Government believes this combination of two metals PLUS 12 sides will be the killer security feature.
- Hidden messages – The nickel plating is especially designed to be hard for forgers to remove and iSIS plated coins can include secret electromagnetic signatures.
- A bigger diameter – The new £1 will be just slightly bigger, at 23.43mm from point to point. The 12 sides means its diameter will also be uneven.
- Milled edges – The new £1 coin will have milled edges – grooves in the side of the coin as well as an edge inscription.
- Secret Images – Known as latent images, these are pictures etched into the metal that only become visible when tipped in the light.
What size will the new pound coin be?
The current round £1 coin is 22.5mm in diameter. The new 12-sided £1 coin will be just slightly bigger, at 23.43mm from point to point. The 12 sides means its diameter will also be uneven.
What design will appear on the new coin?
The 12-sided £1 coin will feature a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock emerging from a royal coronet.
The coin has been designed by schoolboy David Pearce which was picked after a public competition and has been adapted by professional artist David Lawrence.
What will happen to my old £1 coin?
The round pound coins will start to be withdrawn from circulation as the 12-sided coins are introduced. Following the six-month co-circulation period, legal tender status of the existing £1 will be withdrawn.
What happens if I still have old pound coins after legal tender status has been withdrawn?
After the six month co-circulation period, round £1 coins will no longer be able to be used as payment and will cease to be legal tender.
Will I be able to use the coin in the same way?
Yes. The 12-sided pound coins can be used in the same way as the current pounds. For example, they will be available from banks and can be used in self-service checkout tills and parking payment machines. Rigorous rolling tests have been carried out to ensure they will work in vending machines.
Why bother changing it?
One Pound coins were first issued in 1983, but one in every thirty £1 coins is now a fake. These forgeries cost the Government £2million every year.
The new 12-sided £1 coin will be an ultra-secure replacement which will be harder for forgers to copy. They will also last 5 years longer than the current round pound coins.
Will they be collectable?
Like any new issues, collectors will be keen to own the very first design of any new coin. Pound coins with the 2017 date are likely to be more sought after – especially in good condition or uncirculated.
How rare is my coin? The Complete Change Checker Guide to UK Coin mintages
Have I just found a rare coin? It’s a question which collectors ask daily, and to help answer it, we’ve put together these charts listing each coin in order of its rarity.
The Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games is the rarest £2 coin currently in circulation – in fact the four designs in the 2002 Commonwealth Games series occupy the top ten list. There were only 485,500 Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 coins minted, that’s just 0.1% of all the £2 coins ever struck!
Others to look out for include the 2015 Navy £2 and the 2015 Britannia £2, both coins have recently been issued into circulation and share joint third place on our graph.
Themes have followed a similar pattern over the years with the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom being represented in cycles. The rarest One Pound coin currently in circulation is the Edinburgh £1 which was part of the series depicting the capital cities of the UK.
The Edinburgh design is the only £1 coin with a mintage below 1 million and by way of comparison, over 443 million Royal Arms shield £1 coins were issued in 1983. The 2011 Cardiff £1 and the 2010 London £1 follow closely behind, so all very sought after £1 coins to have.
Another coin to look out for is The Royal Arms £1. Although this is a common design which is regularly ignored, make sure to look out for one with a 2008 date – that’s actually the fourth rarest £1 coin.
The rarest coin in circulation, of any denomination, is the Kew Gardens 50p. the Kew Gardens 50p has been valued at up to £50 on online market place eBay. Its status as the most scarce coin has been well publicised, and as a result, many are hoarded by collectors. This chart illustrates just how rare it is compared with other Fifty Pence designs.
The Olympic Fifty Pence series is very popular with Change Checkers, but in terms of rarity, there really isn’t much separating the top 10 designs. The Football ‘Offside Rule’ 50p was certainly one of the most talked about designs, and it also narrowly ranks as the scarcest.
So, keep hold of your coins. You never know what they might be worth in the future! And remember you can Find, Collect and Swap all your coins for FREE with the Change Checker App: www.changechecker.org
Change Checkers are not ready to say farewell to the British Penny…
Last week, we asked Change Checkers if it was time to scrap the British penny.
The penny has been in existence for 1,200 years!
The majority of you said no!
Although it’s fair to say that pennies are rarely used to buy anything anymore, it looks like the sentimental value of the penny is important to us Brits.
53% of Change Checker want to keep the penny.
53% of Change Checkers are in favour of keeping the penny and there are a host of economic, pragmatic, charitable and nostalgic reasons in defence of the penny.
In 1992, all 1p and 2p coins intended for circulation changed from bronze to copper plated steel as a result of the rising price of base metals. Although the Royal Mint does not disclose how much it costs to produce pennies, it is thought that it costs significantly less than face value to produce. The changes to the metal content in 1992 has been key to the future of the penny and allowed it to live on.
Coins are tangible and people do enjoy using them. Most transactions below £10 are still done in cash and it’s likely that it will be a while before it is common for small transactions to be done digitally.
Britain’s traditions run deep and the 1 penny coin is an expression of this tradition. It will be a very sad day if and when they British penny ceases to exist.