Product Information

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the modern £1 coin, the 2008 presentation folder holds the nickel-brass Brilliant Uncirculated coin featuring on its reverse the intricate depiction of the Royal Arms by Eric Sewell that was created in 1983. The folder tells the story of the first pound coin, the spectacular gold sovereign, which was issued during the reign of Henry VII. A brief outline of the adoption of the Royal Arms in numismatic history completes the presentation.

The obverse bears the portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.

Background & History

The original reverse design of the £1 coin, introduced into circulation in 1983, bore the Royal Arms with lion and unicorn supporters, a symbol of the Queen's sovereignty over the whole of the United Kingdom. This finely detailed depiction of the Royal Arms was created by Eric Sewell, a former Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint, and appears once again on the £1 coin on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The whole is surrounded by 100 beads reflecting the 100 pennies that make up £1. On the edge of the coin is the cross-crosslet mintmark of Llantrisant and the Latin inscription DECUS ET TUTAMEN, meaning 'an ornament and a safeguard' which first appeared on the edge of coins of Charles II to deter the unscrupulous practice of clipping and shaving precious metal from the coins.

The Royal Arms, with lion and unicorn supporters, incorporates the famous motto of the Order of the Garter HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE and, in a decorative banner, the words DIEU ET MON DROIT, the motto of English monarchs since Henry V.