£1 Coin Minting Error ‘Confirmed’

Rumours of the Dual-Dated £1 Coin appear to have been confirmed in the national press today.

Although we haven’t seen the coin ourselves, we’ve spoken to the collector claiming to be in possession of one and seen a number of images, leading us to believe that he has found a genuine error.

The error in question is a 12-sided £1 coin with two different dates – 2016 on the obverse and 2017 micro engraved on the reverse.

The Dual-Dated £1 feature the dates 2016 on the obverse and 2017 on the reverse

So, what everybody wants to know is, “what is this coin worth?”

At this stage it’s difficult to answer with any certainty. The error is very hard to spot with the naked eye and there is currently no indication as to how many of these error coins have been struck.

Probably the best example to compare it to is the 2008 undated 20p where there was an initial spike in interest and some coins sold for an inflated price in the thousands. However, this did settle down fairly quickly and today you’d expect to pick one of these up for between £50-75.

What is clear, is that this appears to be a genuine error and as such considerably more collectable than many of the mis-strikes and tampered with £1 coins that have recently appeared online.

Have you found a Dual-Dated £1 coin?

£1 mis-strikes make headline news

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 vastly overstate the scale of the problem.

1.5 billion £1 coins were struck – that’s 30 coins a second – for the new £1 release in March 2017, so it is 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 mis-strikes that have been reported so far:

One coin found in Birmingham by Sarah O’Donoghue was thought to have melted in the middle causing the Bi-Metallic part 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.

Found by Sarah O’Donoghue in her change in Birmingham. Image Credit: The Sun

This particular mis-struck £1 coin, and a few others that have been found recently, are undoubtedly numismatic curiosities. It is certainly possible that these coins will fetch a little more than face value in the near future by interested collectors. 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 new £1’s missing the middle section of the coin BUT collectors should beware.

John Taylor, of Crystal Palace, South London, paid £30 for one missing a centre on eBay. Image Credit: The Sun

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 is 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 I 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. Click here to find out more.


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Change Checker Web App Banner 2 Amends 1024x233 1 1024x233 - Your Latest Scarcity Index Update!

Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app

Here’s where you can find a new 12-sided £1 coin GUARANTEED!

The Royal Mint have revealed a list of places around the UK where you will be able to get a new 12-sided £1 coin on launch day guaranteed.

That will make you one of the first people to get hold of the coin before they start circulating more widely…

Here is the list of the guaranteed locations revealed by The Royal Mint:

ABERDEEN:

  • CLYDESDALE 1 Queen’s Cross, AB15 4XU

EDINBURGH:

  • BARCLAYS 10-15 Princes Street, EH2 2AN
  • RBS 36 St Andrew Aquare, EH2 2AD
  • CLYDESDALE 83 George street, EH2 3ES
  • POST OFFICE 40 Frederick Street, EH2 1EY

GLASGOW:

  • BANK OF SCOTLAND 167-201 Argyle Street, G2 8BU
  • CLYDESDALE 30St Vincent St G1 2HL

BELFAST:

  • BANK OF IRELAND 4-8 High Street, BT1 5LR
  • ULSTER BANK 11-16 Donegall Square East, BT1 5UB

NEWCASTLE:

  • NATWEST 16 Northumberland Street, NE1 7EL

YORK:

  • POST OFFICE 22 Lendal, YO1 8DA

LEEDS:

  • NATWEST Leeds City Centre 8 Park Row, LS1 5HD
  • YORKSHIRE BANK 94-96 Briggate, LS1 6NP

MANCHESTER:

  • BARCLAYS 86-88 Market Street, M1 1PD
  • NATWEST 182 Deansgate, M3 3LY
  • POST OFFICE 26 Spring Gardens, M2 1BB
  • HSBC 2-4 Saint Anne’s Square, M2 7HD

LIVERPOOL:

  • NATWEST 22 Castle Street, L2 0UP

BIRMINGHAM:

  • LLOYDS BANK 36/38 New Street, B2 4LP
  • POST OFFICE 1 Pinfold Street, B2 4AA

CARDIFF:

  • BARCLAYS St Davids Centre, CF10 2DP
  • LLOYDS BANK 31 Queen Street, CF10 2AG
  • HSBC 15 Churchill Way, CF10 2HD

LONDON:

  • BARCLAYS 2 Churchill Place, E14 5RB
  • NATWEST  1 Princes Street, EC2R 8BP
  • HALIFAX 33 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1HZ
  • POST OFFICE 24/28 William IV Street, WC2N 4DL
  • HSBC 103 Station Road, Edgeware, HA8 7J
  • SANTANDER – 2 Triton Square, NW1 3AN, 164-167 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7JE,   57 Streatham High Rd, SW16 1PN

SITTINGBOURNE:

  • SANTANDER 106-108 High Street, ME10 4PP

BATH:

  • POST OFFICE 27 Northgate Street, BA1 1AJ