The Royal Mint has today revealed the design of the new one pound coin, which has the same shape as the old 12-sided threepence piece (3d) last used in 1971.
The reverse (“tails”) side of the coin has been designed by 15 year old David Pearce from Walsall, who took part in a competition launched in September 2014 by the Royal Mint.
“I was really excited to hear that I had won the competition to design the new £1 coin but hugely shocked as well! I heard about the competition through my design teacher at school and I thought I had nothing to lose so I decided to enter. I spent a lot of time researching what coin designs looked like and what sort of designs would represent all parts of the UK before submitting my idea and I honestly cannot believe I have won.”
The winning design, revealed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon George Osborne, features emblems to represent each of the four nations of the United Kingdom: the English rose, a leek for Wales, the Scottish thistle, and the Shamrock for Northern Ireland.
The Royal Mint advise that “the winning design has been refined for coin use with the support of renowned numismatic artist David Lawrence and lettering expert Stephen Raw”.
The new coin will begin circulating in 2017.
To find out more information on the new one pound coin visit the Royal Mint website.
