In 2020 the Royal Mint released this special Limited Issue Brilliant Uncirculated 12 Sided Pound Nations of the Crown £1 One Pound Coin.
The reverse designed by
David Pearce who was just 15 years old when he won the public design competition and depicts
the English rose, the Welsh leek, the Scottish thistle and the Northern Irish shamrock emerging from one stem within a royal coronet while the obverse features the stunning
Fifth Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by
Jody Clark .
The new coin has a number of features that make it much more difficult to counterfeit.
12-sided
– its distinctive shape makes it instantly recognisable, even by touch.
Bimetallic
– it is made of two metals. The outer ring is gold coloured (nickel-brass) and the inner ring is silver coloured (nickel-plated alloy).
Latent image
– it has an image like a hologram that changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number '1' when the coin is seen from different angles.
Micro-lettering
– it has very small lettering on the lower inside rim on both sides of the coin. One pound on the obverse “heads” side and the year of production on the reverse “tails” side, for example 2016 or 2017.
Milled edges
– it has grooves on alternate sides.
Hidden high security feature
– a high security feature is built into the coin to protect it from counterfeiting in the future.
