Posts Tagged ‘£1’
The Thrup’nny Bit: A 12-sided Story
The 12-sided £1 coin entered circulation as the ‘world-leading coin’ in anti-counterfeiting technology, and it is being billed by the Royal Mint as ‘the most secure denomination in the world’. But the shape of this modern £1 coin is actually a throwback to the thrup’nny bit – an old favourite from the pre-decimal era.
The 12-sided threepenny is fondly remembered for its individuality. There was quite literally nothing quite like it before, and it holds the proud title of Britain’s first non-circular coin since milled coins were introduced in the 17th century.
The Thrup’nny bit was Britain’s first non-circular coin
Its predecessor, the ‘Joey’, was a very small silver threepence which was often lost or dropped. It was unpopular with the British public, who were crying out for a coin with a more convenient weight-to-value ratio.
In 1937 they finally got it.
The new design was actually planned for the coinage of Edward VIII, but his short-lived reign meant that only a dozen trial pieces were produced with his effigy. These particular threepence pieces have since been written into folklore as among the most sought-after coins in history.
The unconventional shape and thickness of the new brass threepence made it easy to identify amongst other coins in loose change, and it quickly proved to be a very popular new addition.
Striking the coin was the only problem early on. The Royal Mint were finding that the collar placed around each coin was prone to weaknesses because of the 12 sharp corners. In order to make the collars last longer, they were modified to have more rounded corners from 1941 onwards.
A hidden message
There is also more of a story behind the original reverse design than meets the eye. The design features a Thrift Plant. An odd choice you may think, but it was actually used as a clever pun at a time when saving money, or being ‘thrifty’, was heavily encouraged by the government.
Having met with the approval of the public, the coin was readily adopted into the coinage of Queen Elizabeth II, and as the British economy began its recovery after the war, the thrift plant was replaced with a portcullis.
The thrup’nny bit was eventually withdrawn in 1971 after the introduction of decimal coinage which didn’t include Three Pence as a denomination. However, its legacy lives on, and it is still widely regarded as one of the most original and iconic coins in British history.
The Story of the new £1 Collector’s Pack
Click here to secure the ‘Story of the £1 Collector Pack’ which has space for you to house the new 12-sided £1 coin once you find it in your change, alongside the UK 1967 Brass 12-Sided Threepence Coin.
A first look at Britain’s New £1 Coin
The announcement of a new 12-sided £1 coin came with George Osborne’s budget last year. Now, prior to his latest budget, the Chancellor has taken to Twitter to give us a glimpse of how the new coin will look.
George Osborne Tweeted this photo of the new £1 coin design
A public competition was launched by the Royal Mint in September 2014 to find the new design, and the winner has now been revealed as fifteen-year-old David Pearce from Walsall.
His design was chosen from over 6,000 entries to the competition, and will first appear in our change when the new £1 coin is issued into circulation in 2017.
In his design, four floral emblems have been used to represent each of the constituent countries of the UK. A rose for England, a leek for Wales, a thistle for Scotland and a shamrock for Ireland.
HM Treasury also tweeted news of the design
It is a concept inspired by a £1 coin series of the past, but a nice symbolic touch in this updated version is the amalgamation of all four emblems into one stem intersecting the Royal crown.
Commenting on the new coin, George Osborne said; “The competition captured the imagination of thousands of people and David Pearce’s winning design will be recognised by millions in the years ahead”.
Remember, you can Find, Collect and Swap the coins in your pocket for FREE with www.changechecker.org
10 UK coins featuring Scottish designs
As it’s St Andrew’s Day today I thought I’d have a look back at the UK coins with designs that have been inspired by Scotland. How many have you got in your collection?
Here are my top 10, with details taken from the Change Checker App…
50p: Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 2014
This 50p commemorates the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The reverse design by Alex Goudon features a depiction of a sprinter and a cyclist alongside the St Andrew’s Cross. Athletics and cycling are two of the 17 different sports that featured in the Games over its 11 days.
£1 Coin: Scottish Thistle
Years of Issue: 1984 & 1989
The first reverse design series of £1 coins took floral emblems as its theme to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. They were designed by Lesley Durbin – one of the most highly-regarded silversmiths of the 20th Century. The Thistle is used on this coin to represent Scotland.
£1 Coin: Lion Rampant
Year of issue: 1994 & 1999
The second series of £1 coin designs used heraldic emblems to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a Lion Rampant which is used to represent Scotland. The term ‘rampant’ refers to the position of the lion standing upright with forelegs raised and claws unsheathed, and this symbol was first used to represent the Scottish kingdom by King Alexander in the 13th Century.
£1 Coin: Floral Emblem of Scotland
Year of Issue: 2014
The fifth series of £1 coin designs uses pairs of floral emblems designed by Timothy Noad to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a thistle alongside a bluebell to represent Scotland.
£2 Coin: Claim of Right
Year of issue: 1989
In 1689, Prince William and Mary accepted the Declaration of Rights prior to being offered the throne, which effectively shifted the balance of power from Crown to Parliament and changed the course of British political history. This £2 coin was issued in 1989 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of this landmark act. There were 2 versions of the coin issued – English and Scottish.
£2 Coin: Edinburgh Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 1986
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986, and are well remember for being boycotted by 32 of the 59 eligible countries who did not agree with Britain’s sporting connections to South Africa during the Apartheid era. The reverse design features a thistle encircled by a laurel wreath over the cross of St. Andrew. This £2 was the first British coin issued to commemorate a sporting event.
£2 Coin: 2002 Commonwealth Games – Scotland
Year of issue: 2002
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, and prior to the Olympic Games in London in 2012, it was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK. There are four different designs of the £2 commemorative coin – all are similar except that the central cameo features a different flag for the four constituent countries of the UK. This coin represents Scotland.
£2 Coin: Act of Union
Year of issue: 2007
The political unification of Scotland and England was sealed in 1707 with the creation of one parliament for both countries – based at Westminster. Despite centuries of conflict and opposition, Scotland and England unified through this parliament, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The reverse design by Yvonne Holton features two jigsaw pieces representing both countries alongside a portcullis representing Parliament.
£2 Coin: 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns
Year of issue: 2009
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in British history. Burns night is celebrated each year with a traditional Haggis supper on his birthday, 25th January, and is more widely observed in Scotland than the official national day, St Andrew’s Day. The reverse design of this £2 coin features an extract from Auld Lang Syne, Burns’ most famous work.
£5 Coin: 300th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Anne
Year of issue: 2014
Queen Anne was the second daughter of James II and supported the overthrow of her father by her sister Mark and brother-in-law WIlliam of Orange in 1688. Following William’s death in 1702, Anne took the throne as the very first Queen of Great Britain. She also oversaw the War of Spanish Succesion (1702-1714), an era which lay the foundation for Britain’s colonial power in the 18th century. This coin commemorates 300 years since her death in 1714 and features an elegant portrait of Anne as an 18th century miniature on the reverse.
2014 UK Commonwealth Games circulation 50p
To celebrate Glasgow holding the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Royal Mint issued an official XX Commonwealth Games 50p coin.
Designed by Alex Loudon, the reverse features a cyclist and athlete depicting the power of sport.
The home of the Games are reflected in the choice of Scottish Saltire and lettering inspired by Glasgow-born architect, artist and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The obverse features the fourth portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.