Cardiff's Coat of Arms to Feature on New UK £1 Coin

01 Mar 2011

The Royal Mint has unveiled its new Cardiff £1 coin struck in gold and silver, on St. David’s day. Celebrating the history and heritage of the Welsh capital, a circulating version of the design will enter circulation later this year and start appearing in the nation’s change.

The £1 Cardiff coin, which depicts the city’s distinctive Coat of Arms, is part of the Royal Mint’s Cities Series, a collection of four £1 coins which commemorate the UK’s capital cities, London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Cardiff is the third in the series to be revealed, with London and Belfast released in 2010, and Edinburgh completes the series later this year.

Designed by Stuart Devlin, AO, CMG, famous international coin designer and jeweller to Her Majesty The Queen, the coin is inspired by Cardiff’s rich mythical history, with the city’s Coat of Arms taking pride of place: a red dragon - the emblem of Wales - stands proudly on a grassy mound from which a leek grows, and supports a banner featuring three chevrons. The edge of the coin is inscribed with the motto ‘Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN’, translated as 'The Red Dragon shall lead'.

Commenting on the launch of the new £1 coin, the Director of the Royal Mint Museum Kevin Clancy said: “The Royal Mint has been based in South Wales for more than 40 years, so this particular coin is close to our hearts. The design beautifully captures well known symbols of Wales, and what better time to reveal Cardiff’s new £1 coin struck in precious gold and silver than on St David’s Day. We hope the people of Wales agree we have produced a beautiful coin that they will enjoy when the coin goes into circulation later in the year.”

The Cardiff design is the 18th design to have featured on a £1 coin since the denomination was introduced in 1983. As well as the £1 circulating coin, special precious metal commemorative versions have also been struck in gold and silver. Created in strictly limited numbers, these coins are finished to a higher quality than a circulating coin, showing the design in perfect clarity. The limited edition coins are available to buy from the Royal Mint at www.royalmint.com/cardiff