The longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated several jubilees throughout her 70 years on the throne. Her reign witnessed several significant changes to society and culture across the United Kingdom, including decimalisation in 1971, which makes her the only British monarch to have had both a pre-decimal and decimal coinage.

The £1 coin was first introduced into circulation in 1983, when it became apparent that banknotes with the same value were lasting no longer than nine months. The round pound featured a range of reverse designs throughout its time in circulation but it also became one of the most counterfeited denominations. To make the £1 coin more secure, a new bimetallic 12-sided specification featuring a new reverse design was released into circulation in 2017.

This coin is also available as part of The Making of Modern Britain Queen Elizabeth II Decimal Coins Bundle, which offers collectors the opportunity to own an example of each of the decimal denominations of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

*Packaging Image is for example only