£1 Coins
The best £1 design ever?
It’s not often that such eager anticipation surrounds the issue of a new £1 coin, but the new Royal Arms £1 has captured the imagination of Change Checkers ever since it was revealed at the end of last year.
It is the fourth Royal Arms design since the £1 coin made its debut appearance in 1983 but in a recent Facebook vote, our fans have already hailed it as their favourite, months before its scheduled release date. And it is easy to understand why.
Timothy Noad’s new Royal Arms design is due to enter circulation later this year
Timothy Noad’s contemporary interpretation of the classic British emblem is both bold and original. His design covers a substantial portion of the coin’s reverse, bringing the smaller and normally indistinguishable details to life.
The traditional quartered shield is of course the same, but the crowned lion and unicorn flanking it are far more striking. Noad has also included a subtle twist on the usual design, with a rose, thistle, shamrock and leek at the bottom to represent the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
But the coin’s appeal does not stop at its design. It is the very first £1 coin to feature the new portrait of Her Majesty by Jody Clark. It could also be one of the final designs to feature on the pound coin as we know it. The new 12-sided shape will be introduced in 2017 and the window for new designs is getting ever smaller.
Can’t wait?
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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”.
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Which Queen Elizabeth II portrait is your favourite?
Jody Clark recently added his name to an illustrious list in the history books by becoming only the fifth person to create an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II for British circulating coins. Each artist has given their own portrayal of the Queen which offers us a numismatic timeline showing her changing profile over the years.
But which of the five is your favourite? Place your vote below.
1. Mary Gillick (1953 – 1970)
The very first coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign bore Mary Gillick’s portrait of a youthful looking Queen, which she engraved especially for the new coins. Her uncrowned portrait is still used on Maundy Money distributed each year by Her Majesty.
2. Arnold Machin RA (1968 – 1984)
With decimalisation approaching, the Queen’s portrait was refreshed with Arnold Machin’s new sculpture. Commissioned in 1964, it first appeared in 1968 on the new 5p and 10p coins. A version of the design with a tiara was introduced on stamps in 1967 and remains to this day.
3. Raphael Maklouf (1985 – 1997)
With his portrayal of Her Majesty, Raphael Maklouf aimed to “create a symbol, regal and ageless”. Unlike the others, his original formal portrait depicting Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Royal Diadem was ‘couped’ (cut off above the shoulders) to become the third official effigy.
4. Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (1998 – 2015)
The next portrait was created to fill the full circle of the coin in a deliberate response to the new smaller 5p and 10p coins in circulation. The designer, Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, aimed to show the Queen with “poise and bearing” with his noticeably more mature portrayal.
5. Jody Clark (2015 – )
The latest portrait by Jody Clark was unveiled on 2nd March 2015 during a ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery. His elegant depiction of Queen Elizabeth II was selected by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee – and he is the first Royal Mint engraver for over 100 years to be commissioned for a royal coinage portrait.
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