Posts by Change Checker
£1 mis-strikes make headline news
Since it’s introduction in 2017, the 12 sided £1 coin has made front page news time and again from members of the public spotting mis-struck £1 coins in their change.
However, it’s important to be aware that these headlines can vastly overstate the scale of the problem.
In 2017, 1.5 billion £1 coins were struck – that’s 30 coins a second – so it’s inevitable that some variances have occurred during the striking process, affecting a small number of coins.
But remember, mis-strikes and variances are not the same as genuine errors. Here are some of the £1 mis-strikes that have been reported…
The ‘Melt in the middle’ £1
This £1 coin, found in Birmingham by Sarah O’Donoghue, was thought to have melted in the middle, causing the Bi-Metallic parts of the coin to bleed into one another. However, this isn’t actually the case and is in fact likely to be because of a ‘bad’ or misaligned blank being used leading to this particular mis-strike.
This particular mis-struck £1 coin, and a few others that have been found recently, are undoubtedly numismatic curiosities. Whilst they make for interesting collection, it’s likely that these coins will fetch little more than face value if put up for sale. However, the minting process is never completely exempt from human error, so it is worth checking your change carefully.
“It is very unlikely that there is a serious problem with the new £1 coins. With the large amount of coins that were struck ready for the launch in 2017, it is inevitable that there will be some variances among a small number of the £1 coins. With the coins causing excitement in the press and more people than ever checking their change, these mis-strikes are cropping up more than usual.” – Ian Glen (Change Checker Managing Director)
The ‘polo’ pound
There have also been reports of 12-sided £1 coins missing the middle section of the coin – BUT, collectors should beware...
As a word of warning to those wanting to get hold of one of these coins, don’t be fooled into spending more than you need to.
It’s relatively easy to prize the two parts of metal apart by freezing the coin and using a chisel to knock the middle section out.
Ultimately these mis-strikes are unlikely to make anyone rich, but they are undoubtedly very interesting and would make an exciting addition to any coin collection.
Find out about all the the differences that have been spotted in the 12 sided £1 here.
As we mentioned earlier, mis-strikes are not the same as genuine errors. BUT there are some errors to be aware of, such as the dual dated £1.
Find out more about your coins
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How Gordon Brown saved the UK from a “Finnish Coin Disaster”
In 2017, The Mint of Finland proposed a set of five €5 coins paying tribute to the nation’s independence. Each coin was intended to honour 1 of 5 periods of time during the 100 years since independence in 1917, however, the designs quickly hit the headlines, and not for a good reason…
The first coin in the series represented the period 1917-1939 and featured a depiction of a Finnish Civil War execution scene with the inscription ‘Civil War’. Within just 24 hours of the design’s reveal, the Mint of Finland announced that they would be scrapping the collection due to uproar about the gruesome scene on this coin and another in the series.
Image credit: Coin World
The coins were due to be put on sale on 4th May 2017, but the Communications Director for the Mint of Finland confirmed that no coins had been struck.
Minister of Finance, Petteri Orpo said: “I did not give sufficient attention to the visual designs and relied instead on the proposals put forward by the Collector Coin Committee. I would like to express my sincere regret over what has occurred. The decree will be overturned and we will start again from the beginning.”
The Mint of Finland said that it “deeply regrets all the bad feeling caused by the images in the collector coin series.”
History repeated
The Finnish Centennial disaster wasn’t the first time that a coin design had caused a commotion…
Back in 2005, two 50p coin designs were put forward to represent 150 years of the Victoria Cross medal, which is the highest honour for gallantry which can be given to British and Commonwealth forces. However, one of the designs was quickly rejected by Gordon Brown (Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time).
The Victoria Cross Heroic Acts 50p was originally reported to feature a British soldier being shot in the back, but Mr Brown ordered it to be redesigned. A letter from Brown’s aides to The Royal Mint read “He (Mr. Brown) appreciates the designer’s attempt to portray the courage and selflessness of the British soldier carrying a wounded comrade while under fire. But he feels that the particular image of a British soldier apparently about to be shot in the back will not seem appropriate to many people.”
The final design on the 2006 Victoria Cross Heroic Acts 50p by sculptor Clive Duncan features a soldier carrying a wounded comrade, in front of the Victoria Cross medal outline. It has a circulating mintage of 10,000,500, making it one of the more common commemorative 50p designs in circulation.
The new £5 note has a major grammar blunder…But have you spotted it?
The Bank of England has been accused of “dumbing down” after choosing to remove punctuation from a quote by Sir Winston Churchill printed on the new polymer £5 notes.
The original concept image for the new polymer £5 notes correctly included double quotation marks around the former prime minister’s famous saying: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
The Bank of England’s original concept design for the new £5 note included double quotation marks around Winston Churchill’s words CREDIT: Bank of England.
However the final £5 note design that was released into circulation does not include the quotation marks or full stop.
The new polymer fiver does not include quotation marks or a full stop.
The new Polymer £5 notes were issued in September and there are now around 400 million in circulation. You can find out everything you need to know about the polymer fiver here.
According to the Bank of England, the demand for cash continues to grow and the new polymer banknotes will shape the usage of cash in the future.
Did you know the new polymer banknotes are:
2017 marks 200 years since the death of Jane Austen – one of the best-loved English novelists of all time. And to celebrate such an inspirational female figure, the Bank of England have chosen to honour her on a brand new banknote.
The brand new £10 polymer banknote is due to be issued in September 2017 and you can find out more about the design here!