The £1 coin many people still spend in shops – and why collectors say you should check your change twice

Amelia Foster • December 10, 2025 16:50

The £1 coin clinked onto the counter with the rest of your change, anonymous among the bronzes and silvers. You barely looked at it. Tap the receipt, stuff everything into your pocket, move on. A pound is a pound, especially when you’re dashing for a bus or juggling a shopping bag and a coffee.

Later, at home, you empty your pockets into the familiar dish by the door. The same dish that’s quietly swallowed small fortunes over the years. One coin catches the light differently. The design looks slightly off, the edge lettering feels unfamiliar under your thumb. You squint, shrug, drop it with the others.

Somewhere between those two moments a tiny decision happens: keep looking… or let a potentially collectable £1 go back into the world as just another coin.

For a surprising number of people, that’s the moment they give away something worth more than it says on the tin.

From pocket change to small collectible

Most of us treat coins like background noise. Notes we might glance at. Cards we protect. Phones we cradle like newborns. But that handful of metal at the bottom of the bag? That’s just “change”.

Numismatists – coin collectors, to the rest of us – see something different. They see tiny limited editions on the move: designs that were only made for a year or two, “last of their kind” issues, and the occasional minting mistake that turns an ordinary £1 into a quiet curiosity.

The UK’s switch from the old round pound to the 12‑sided £1 in 2017 didn’t just refresh the design. It created a dividing line. On one side are hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary coins. On the other, a much smaller group of pieces with lower mintages, special designs or oddities that collectors will pay extra for.

None of them are lottery wins. But they’re often worth more than a quick tap at the self‑checkout.

The trick is knowing which ones deserve a second glance before you let them go.

Meet the £1 people keep giving away

There isn’t just one “magic” pound, despite some excitable headlines. Instead, there’s a small family of £1 coins that pop up in change, in jam jars and in glove compartments, and quietly outrun their face value.

Here are three that collectors actually watch for:

1. The 2011 Edinburgh £1 (round pound)

Before the 12‑sided design arrived, the Royal Mint ran a “Cities” series of round pounds. The Edinburgh £1, issued in 2011, turned out to be the rarest circulation design of the lot.

Design: Thistle with a crown and a subtle cityscape shield behind it
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II, Ian Rank‑Broadley portrait
Edge inscription: NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT (“No one provokes me with impunity”)

It’s no longer legal tender, thanks to the 2017 demonetisation of the round pound. Yet millions of these coins are still in tubs and tins across the country, mentally counted as “that’ll do for parking one day”.

In good condition, collectors often pay a few pounds for one Edinburgh coin. Crisp, uncirculated examples can fetch more.

It’s not retirement money. It is, however, more than the nothing it earns sitting at the back of a drawer.

2. The 2016 “last round pound”

In 2016, the Royal Mint issued a final run of round £1 coins with the Royal Arms design, heavily branded as the “last round pound”. Some were sold in presentation packs; others slipped quietly into normal circulation.

Design: Shield of the Royal Arms by Timothy Noad
Edge inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN (“An ornament and a safeguard”)
Why it matters: Final year before the design and shape changed forever

Collectors like “first” and “last” issues. They mark turning points. A clean 2016 round pound, especially if it’s clearly unworn, has a gentle premium over its older, more battered cousins. Presentation‑pack versions can be worth noticeably more.

Plenty of people still fish these out of old purses and spend them through bank coin machines as “just more old round pounds”, never realising anyone might want them specifically.

3. Mis‑struck 12‑sided £1 coins

When the new 12‑sided £1 launched in 2017 with the “Nations of the Crown” design, the Royal Mint called it the “most secure coin in the world”. Inevitably, a few imperfect examples still escaped the presses.

Collectors have spotted:

Slightly off‑centre strikes
Double‑rim edges
Obverse and reverse not perfectly aligned
Missing or muddled details in the micro‑lettering

Most new £1 coins with tiny quirks are just factory variation and not worth a premium. But genuine, obvious mis‑strikes – the sort where you can see something is wrong without a magnifying glass – can sell for tens of pounds to collectors who specialise in errors.

Those are exactly the sort of coins that slip through tills because “they still work in the vending machine, don’t they?”

How to check your £1 coins without becoming an expert

You don’t need white gloves, a magnifier and a filing cabinet of folders to spot the more interesting £1s. You just need to slow down for ten seconds before you offload them.

Think of it as a quick three‑step scan:

1. Check the date

Flip the coin so you can see the year.

2011 on a round £1? Check if it’s the Edinburgh design.
2016 on a round £1? See if it’s in decent condition; it’s the last year.
Early 2017 12‑siders with obvious oddities? Worth a closer look.

Anything completely mangled or polished to a mirror by years of use is less attractive to collectors, even if the year is interesting.

2. Look at the design itself

Ask yourself a few simple questions:

Does this round £1 show a city’s emblem (like a thistle, dragon or portcullis) rather than the more familiar Royal Arms?
Does the 12‑sided £1 design look noticeably “off” compared with others – misaligned, double‑rimmed, parts missing?
Is the detail unusually sharp, as if it hasn’t really been used?

Your eye is better at spotting “odd” than you think. If a coin looks different enough for you to notice, there’s often a reason.

3. Feel the edge

Run your thumb carefully around the rim:

Round pounds should have a clear edge inscription. If the words don’t match the design or seem partially missing, note it.
12‑sided pounds have a milled edge with fine grooves. If part of it feels smooth where it shouldn’t, or there’s a visible “step” where the strike shifted, that can be a sign of an error.

If a £1 passes these three checks and still feels entirely unremarkable, it probably is. Drop it in the self‑checkout with a clear conscience.

If it makes you pause, set it aside.

Rarity, condition and the myth of the £5,000 pound

Stories about “£1 coin worth £5,000” travel quickly. They make great headlines. They also quietly stretch the truth.

Collectors care about three main things:

Rarity – How many were made, and how many survived in decent condition?
Condition – Has it lived a hard life in pockets and car parks, or does it still look close to new?
Demand – Are people actively looking for that specific coin?

A scarcer £1 with heavy scratches, dents and no original shine is still just a tired coin. By contrast, a not‑so‑rare design pulled straight from a mint pack and never touched can be surprisingly desirable.

When you see eye‑watering prices online, look closely:

Is that the asking price or the sold price?
Is it a normal circulation coin, or one from a special presentation set?
Is there something genuinely unusual about it (a clear mis‑strike, for example)?

Most interesting £1s sit in the £2–£20 range in real‑world sales, not four figures. Still worth noticing. Just not worth quitting your day job for.

What to do if you think you’ve found a “good” £1

The moment of “hang on, this looks different” is oddly satisfying. After that, keep it simple.

Don’t clean it.
Metal polish, toothpaste and vigorous rubbing all damage the surface and can wipe away any premium value.
Set it aside safely.
An old film canister, a small box, even a folded paper envelope is better than tossing it back into your main coin pile.
Compare it sensibly.
- Search for the same coin by year and design.
- Filter online listings to “sold items” rather than “active”.
- Ignore obvious outliers and look at the typical prices.
Ask a grown‑up (in coin terms).
A local coin dealer, a reputable auction house, or a recognised numismatic society can give you a clearer view than a random forum. Many are happy to glance at a photo and say “worth tucking away” or “spend it”.
Decide its job.
Maybe you sell it and let it pay for a takeaway. Maybe you start a tiny collection of designs you like. Maybe you simply drop it in a jar marked “odd coins” and forget about it for a few years.

The value isn’t only in the money. Sometimes it’s just in the quiet satisfaction of catching something most people miss.

Living with “rare” coins: hype, hope and everyday habits

You could, in theory, spend every commute scanning coins like a hawk, hoping for the numismatic equivalent of a winning scratchcard. That way lies frustration.

A gentler approach is to build a tiny habit around moments that already exist. When you get home and empty your pockets, just flip through the pounds once before they vanish into the dish. When a self‑checkout spits a £1 into the tray, glance at the date before it disappears into your purse.

No spreadsheets. No magnifying lamps. Just an extra heartbeat of attention.

There’s also a small psychological side‑effect. Noticing the detail on something as ordinary as a £1 coin can be a quiet antidote to the sense that everything is disposable and anonymous. You start to see designs, dates, tiny decisions made by engravers and committees years ago.

Your change becomes a record of time passing, not just a way to feed a parking meter.

Here’s a compact summary to keep in mind:

Coin type	What makes it interesting	Typical collector range*
2011 Edinburgh round £1	Lowest‑mintage city £1, distinctive thistle design	~£3–£10 depending on condition
2016 “last round pound”	Final year of round £1, Royal Arms design	Often £2–£5; more in mint packs
Clear mis‑strike 12‑sided £1	Visible minting error (off‑centre, double rim)	Roughly £10–£50+ for strong errors

*Indicative only; actual prices depend heavily on condition and demand.

FAQ:

Are old round £1 coins still legal tender in shops? No. Round pounds were demonetised in 2017, so shops are not obliged to accept them. Some banks and the Post Office may still take them in bulk, but policies vary.

Is it worth keeping every unusual £1 I see? Keep the ones that pass the quick checks (interesting date, design, or clear error). You don’t need to hoard everything; focus on coins that genuinely stand out.

How can I tell if my “rare” pound is just hype? Search for the exact coin and filter to sold listings only. If lots of similar coins have sold recently for ordinary prices, it’s probably not special.

Should I clean a dirty £1 coin before selling it? No. Cleaning can scratch the surface and remove original finish, which usually reduces value. Collectors prefer honest wear over a polished shine.

Can I really make serious money from checking my £1 coins? For most people, it’s about small wins and curiosity, not big payouts. You might turn a few unnoticed pounds into a nicer sum over time, but it’s not an income stream – it’s a hobby with the occasional pleasant surprise.