The £1 coin as we know it today was introduced into the UK coinage in 1983. In its 26-year existence, the coin has, to date, borne 15 reverse designs and, in three series, has represented the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. In 2010, a new series of four will begin and will focus on the four capital cities of the UK.
The original coin featured the Royal Arms complete with supporters, a design which also appeared on the circulating £1 coins of 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 while the coin of 1988 bore a crowned shield of the Royal Arms. The new definitive £1 coin, featuring a shield of the Royal Arms, made its debut in 2008 and was also struck in 2009.
THE FLORAL SERIES featured in the years 1984 to 1987 and again in the years 1989 to 1992
THE HERALDIC SERIES featured in the years 1994 to 1997 and again in the years 1999 to 2002
THE BRIDGE SERIES featured in the years 2004 to 2007
THE CITIES SERIES will feature in the years 2010 and 2011; two coins will be released in 2010 and will honour Belfast and London with the remaining two, honouring Cardiff and Edinburgh, due for release in 2011.
The Queen’s Portrait
The £1 coins struck in 1983 and 1984 bore the Queen’s first ‘decimal’ portrait created by Arnold Machin; those struck between 1985 and 1997 (inclusive) featured the Queen’s effigy by Raphael Maklouf and those struck from 1998 onwards bear the Queen’s portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.
THE FLORAL SERIES
The thistle and the leek, used as numismatic symbols on the Queen’s pre-decimal coinage, were employed again in the floral series while the lovely little flax plant and the oak tree were to feature on the coinage for the first time. The series was the work of Leslie Durbin who united the four by having each encircled by the Royal Diadem.
THE HERALDIC SERIES
The ‘ruddy lion ramping in his field of tressured gold’ represented Scotland in the heraldic series. The coin for Wales featured the Welsh dragon and the coin honouring England depicted the three lions. The three were modelled by Norman Sillman based on drawings supplied by the College of Arms. For the coin for Northern Ireland, he chose the famous Broighter collar superimposed upon a decorative Celtic Cross.
THE BRIDGE SERIES
The Bridge series of £1 coin designs represented a complete break with numismatic tradition since bridges had never before featured on the coinage. The Forth Rail Bridge for Scotland, the Menai Bridge for Wales, the Egyptian Arch Rail Bridge for Northern Ireland and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge for England made a splendid quartet of £1 coins. All four were designed by Edwina Ellis.
THE CITIES SERIES
The new series of £1 coins focus on the four capital cities of the UK. The designs were created by Stuart Devlin who chose to use the coats of arms of each city and has depicted all four cities on all four coins while featuring one of the cities specifically.