The Anatomy of the new 12-sided £1 Coin

Tomorrow the new £1 coin will be released into circulation around the UK, sparking a new flurry of interest in coins from the general public.

Just like the polymer fiver back in September, the new £1 is sure to create excitement across the UK as people get their hands on the new coins for the first time.

So here’s what to look out for when you find one:

It’s also worth looking out for the date on your £1 when you find one in your change. The Royal Mint have confirmed that at least 1.4 billion £1 coins in total will enter circulation, but half a billion of these £1 coins will be dated 2016.

When you do find your first pound make sure you post a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #foundapound, and also tag the location you found it!

The new 12-Sided £1 is already a collecting sensation – and it’s not even out yet!

The new 12-sided £1 has grabbed the headlines this week as collector’s really can’t wait to get their hands on one.

In fact, the new coins are proving to be so popular that people are willing to pay way over their face value to get hold of one before the official release date of March 28th.

Currently the only way to get hold of a brand new 12-sided £1 coin is to purchase a 2017 Annual Coin pack (which includes all the coins issued for 2017 struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated finish) or to visit the Royal Mint Experience in Wales and strike your own coin.

Sellers have cottoned on to this and are now selling their coins on auction sites with the ‘justification’ that they are not yet widely available – bids have even been fetching over 5000% their face value. But you really don’t need to pay these prices if you can hold on for a month or so.

The 2016 Trial Pieces

But there’s no doubt that the more interesting pieces are the 2016 trial £1 coins that have also cropped up on online auction sites – one coin even sold for a whopping £200.

However, The Royal Mint has issued over 200,000 trial samples of the new £1 to industry stakeholders in preparation for the new coin. And The Royal Mint has made it clear that these coins don’t have legal tender status and have no redeemable value.

They are most certainly an interesting piece for anyone to have in their collection, but they are not as scarce as some of the recent reports and eBay listings suggest.

To put this into perspective, in 1994, The Royal Mint issued 4,500 packs of trial £2 coins. These packs can now sell for around £150 due to their scarcity.

When can I get a new 12-sided £1 coin?

The new £1 coin is due to enter circulation next month and you can start checking your change then. A Brilliant Uncirculated version of the coin will also be available to buy as an individual collectors piece from the 28th March.

Don’t forget to post a picture to the Change Checker Facebook page when you find one!


Be one of the FIRST people to own the new £1 Coin.

Today you can own all 13 of the United Kingdom’s 2017 coins including the brand new ‘Nations of the Crown’ 12-sided £1 within the latest annual coin pack.

The 2017 United Kingdom Annual Coin Set

The Sapphire Jubilee – a first in British Royal history

This year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Sapphire Jubilee – the first ever British monarch in history to do so.

It is the first Sapphire Jubilee to be celebrated in British Royal history and as you can imagine this is a significant event for collectors and an occasion that deserves celebration. 

The Royal Mint have issued a brand new £5 coin to mark the occasion, so I thought I’d take a look back at the history and timeless designs of previous UK jubilee coins issued during Her Majesty’s reign…

hw-qeii-coronation-shorter-timeline-cc-infographic-final


Own the brand new Sapphire Jubilee £5

Click here to own the brand new UK £5 coin issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate Her Majesty’s Sapphire Jubilee – the first British monarch in history to do so.