Spot the difference! Variations in the 12 sided £1 explained.

A common query we’ve been hearing at Change Checker HQ comes from people asking about variations in their 12 sided £1 coins.

Having read David Groom’s fascinating articles in the April and May issues of Coin News, we’ve found the key facts which explain these variations, what to look for and why they might have occurred.

 

 

We know that of the 1.5 billion 12 sided £1 coins struck to replace the old round pound, roughly half a billion are dated 2016.

Of course, having such a high mintage figure must lead to varieties in design and quality of striking, however in the Coin News examination of just 40 randomly selected 12 sided £1 coins, an extraordinary number of varieties appeared…

 

Edges

Perhaps the most talked about variation with the 12 sided £1 is the milling on the edge of the coin, with ‘lefties’ being a common error in the milling process.

 

Variations showing milling to the right. Credit: Coin News

Variations showing milling to the left. Credit: Coin News

 

Obverses

Groom’s article suggested four clear variations can be found on the obverse of the coin, including position of the design and text.

 

Variations in the gap of the ‘T’ relative to the edge of the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in the position of the truncation relative to the edge of the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in the tip of the diadem relative to the edge of the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in the gap of the ‘D’ relative to the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

 

Reverses

Groom also highlighted the four clear features of difference for the reverses of the new £1 coins.

 

Variations in the gap of the ‘D’ relative to the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in the gap of the ‘DP’ relative to the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in the position of the leek relative to the edge of the inner ring. Credit: Coin News

Variations in how the rose is intersected. Credit: Coin News

 

Misalignment

One of the most common variations seems to be misalignment of the coins, particularly where the outer and inner sections do not align properly.

 

Variations in alignment. Credit: Coin News

 

Dates

We have spoken before in our blog about the dual-dated £1 coins, with one such coin being valued at £3,000.

Groom also mentions that many examples of the 2016 pound coin have the date numbers very poorly struck, making the date hard to read.

 

The date on some 2016 £1 coins have been poorly struck. Credit: Coin News

 

Royal Mint trial coins

Trial coins are issued when new coin specifications are being tested, but they should not enter circulation.

These feature the words ‘The Royal Mint’ and ‘Trial Piece’.

 

Credit: eBay: Rare £1 coin – new 12-sided trial coins sold for £500

 

Whilst there are clearly a number of variations to be found in the 12 sided £1 coins, Coin News suggests that these may arise from off centre striking, or be due to the different characteristics from the two metals of the bimetallic coin.

Auction sites such as eBay may have sellers claiming these as ‘error’ coins, with listed prices rising to hundreds or even thousands of pounds, but for us Change Checkers, finding these variations in our coins is what makes collecting that much more interesting.

Many of you have been in touch telling us about the difference in your 2016 and 2017 12 sided £1 coins. Have you spotted any of the above variations in your coins?

– Credit ‘Up close, the new 12 sided £1 coin’ – David Groom, Coin News, April and May 2018


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