One pound (British coin)
| United Kingdom | |
| Value | 1 pound sterling |
|---|---|
| Mass | 9.5 g |
| Diameter | 22.5 mm |
| Thickness | 3.15 mm |
| Edge | Milled, with incuse lettering |
| Composition | Nickel-brass (70% Cu, 24.5% Zn, and 5.5% Ni) |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Jody Clark |
| Design date | 2015 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Royal Shield |
| Designer | Matthew Dent |
| Design date | 2008 |
The British one pound (£1) coin is a denomination of the pound sterling. Its obverse bears the Latin engraving “Dei Gratia Regina” meaning, “By the grace of God, Queen” and FD meaning ”Defender of the Faith." It has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction on 21 April 1983. Four different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the latest design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The current standard reverse, featuring the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008. In addition to the standard reverse one or two new designs are minted each year.
The coin replaced the Bank of England £1 note, which ceased to be issued at the end of 1984 and was removed from circulation on 11 March 1988, though still redeemable at the Bank's offices, like all English banknotes. One-pound notes continue to be issued in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and by the Royal Bank of Scotland, but the pound coin is much more widely used.
As of March 2014 there were an estimated 1,553 million £1 coins in circulation. The Royal Mint estimated in 2014 that 3.04% (i.e. about 47 million) were counterfeit.
The final round coins were minted in December 2015. Their replacement, a new 12-sided design, is to be introduced from 28 March 2017 onwards. It will be of a similar 12-sided shape to the pre-decimal brass threepence coin, will be roughly the same size as the current £1 coin and will be bimetallic like the current £2 coin. The new design is intended to make counterfeiting more difficult, via an undisclosed hidden security feature, called 'iSIS' (Integrated Secure Identification Systems).
To date, four different obverses have been used. For the first three of these, the inscription was ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. 2013, where 2013 is replaced by the year of minting. The fourth design, unveiled in March 2015, expands the inscription slightly to ELIZABETH II DEI.GRA.REG.FID.DEF. 2015.
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