Description
Two Designs
There were two different designs of £1 issued in 2008; one featuring the coat of arms and the other with the shield of arms.
Edge
The edge is not only milled but also inscribed. The inscription in Latin reads:- DECUS ET TUTAMEN which may be translated as “an ornament and a safeguard”. This inscription dates back to the first machine-struck coins minted in 1662 and was a device to prevent “clipping”.
Llantrisant Mint Mark
On the milled edge of the coin is the Llantrisant mint mark – a cross crosslet. The 1983 pound was the first United Kingdom coin to be struck with this distinctive feature. The shape of the cross alluding to Llantrisant, which translated from the Welsh means “Church or Parish of the Three Saints”.
Obverse
The obverse bears the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth IIby Ian Rank-Broadley.
Reverse
The reverse of the coin shows the new Shield of Arms engraving by Matthew Dent. The coin bears the word ONE to the left and POUND to the right.
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