An entirely new series of four £1 coins – together representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales with the focus on the four capital cities – is launched in 2010 and, for the first time in a UK £1 series, two coins are being released in the same year. The two released in 2010 represent London and Belfast and are united in a beautifully illustrated presentation wallet.
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The Cities Series
The new series of £1 coins features the four capital cities of the UK. The designs are the work of world-renowned goldsmith Stuart Devlin who has created coins for many countries including his iconic coinage for Australia. He aims to make his designs visually rich and attractive to the general population. For the £1 coins he chose to use the coats of arms of each city since, although there are certain constraints, they still allow considerable design freedom to give the traditional a contemporary feel by making the shields round to reflect the circular shape of the coins. The most creative aspect of his concept is being able to depict all four cities on all four coins while featuring one of the cities specifically.
He found the carving of the masters particularly challenging because of the detail he wanted to depict; ‘miniaturisation provides the great attraction of coins.’ Stuart Devlin AO, CMG was born in Australia in 1931. He holds the Royal Warrant of Appointment as Goldsmith and Jeweller to Her Majesty The Queen. The portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS features on both obverses.
The Belfast Coin
Belfast used a coat of arms on its seal as early as 1643, but it was not until 1890 that the arms were granted officially. The shield of the coat of arms provides an appropriate reverse for the new £1 coin representing Northern Ireland in the Cities Series. Since the city port of Belfast has always been a busy shipbuilding centre, it is not surprising that a sea-going vessel should dominate the shield. The triangular pattern comes from the arms of the Chichester family, while the bell is a simple reference to the city’s name and appeared on tokens issued by Belfast tradesmen in the seventeenth century. The motto of the arms PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS can be translated as ‘what shall we give in return for so much’ and provides a pleasing edge inscription for the Belfast £1 coin.
The London Coin
There is currently no single heraldic emblem for London in the normal sense so the coat of arms chosen for the coin’s reverse design belongs to the Corporation of the city of London – the ‘Square Mile’ presided over by the Lord Mayor of London. The red cross with upright red sword in the top left quarter, is usually explained as combining the symbol of the City’s patron saint, St Paul, with that of England’s, the red cross of St George. The motto of the arms DOMINE DIRIGE NOS can be translated as ‘Lord, direct us’ and provides the edge inscription for the London £1 coin.