STOP: the five £1 coins you must NOT cash in!

*** 2020 UPDATE ***

Three years since the old round pound coins were demonetised and replaced by the 12 sided £1, it’s been revealed that 122 million of these old coins still have not been returned to The Royal Mint.

Roughly 1.58 billion have found their way back to the Mint, but in addition to this, there have been at least 1.5 billion counterfeit round pounds handed in.

The Royal Mint said these fakes “could not be readily distinguished from the genuine coin, which is why a new coin was introduced”.

But, of the 122 million genuine round pounds still in circulation, which ones should you be looking out for?


In 2017, the Round £1 coins were demonetised and replaced by the new 12 sided coins we see today. The public were encouraged to spend or return their coins to the banks, but did you know that not all of these coins made it back to The Royal Mint?

Whilst these old coins are no longer legal tender, they can still be returned to the bank and deposited into you account, however there’s a few coins you definitely shouldn’t be cashing in if you’re lucky enough to find one (tip: try looking down the back of the sofa, in coat pockets or old supermarket bags for those lost and forgotten coins!).

Here are the ones to look out for:

Scotland: Edinburgh City

The Edinburgh City £1 Coin

The Edinburgh City £1 coin was released in 2011 with a mintage of just 935,000, making it the lowest Round Pound by 680,000!

Taking this into account, there’s no real surprise that this coin sits top of our Scarcity Index with a perfect score of 100.

Such is the rarity, only 17% of Change Checker users list having this coin in their collection.

This coin currently sells for between £7-£12.

Wales: Cardiff City

The Cardiff City £1 Coin

Another of the capital cities series, the Cardiff City £1 coin is definitely one to keep.

Released in 2011, this coin has a mintage of just 1,615,000 and is in 2nd position in our Scarcity Index with a very high score of 88.

This coin depicts the circular Coat of Arms of Cardiff as the principal focus to represent Wales.

This coin is worth between £3-£5.

England: London City

The London City £1 Coin

The 3rd coin from the capital cities series that you should hold on to is the London City £1 coin. Interestingly, the Belfast City coin does not make our list.

Released in 2010, this coin has a mintage of 2,635,000, much higher than Edinburgh and Cardiff but low in comparison to other £1 coins.

London City scores an impressive 77/100 in our Scarcity Index.

This coin can sell for between £3-£6.

Scotland: Thistle and Bluebell

Scotland: Thistle and Bluebell £1 coin

The Thistle and Bluebell £1 coin was released in 2014 as part of the floral emblems series.

It has a mintage figure of 5,185,000 and scores a 55 on our Scarcity Index, coming in 4th place.

This coin features a thistle alongside a bluebell to represent Scotland.

This is worth between £2-£5.

UK: Crowned Shield

UK: Crowned Shield £1 coin

The UK Crowned Shield £1 coin was released way back in 1988, only 5 years after the Round £1 came into circulation.

Although it has a relatively low mintage figure of 7,118,825, this coin makes the list due to some interesting Change Checker App data.

It scores a 51 in our Scarcity Index but less than 1/4 of Change Checker users list having this coin in their collection and swap requests outnumber swap listings by 6 to 1!

This coin will sell for between £3-£7.50.

It’s worth noting that our valuations are based on coins that have recently sold on auction sites. The value of a coin depends on a number of factors including the coin’s condition.


Own the 2017 Round £1 Collecting Pack

Secure your exclusive £1 Collector Pack today which includes Britain’s last round pound as well as an original £1 Banknote. Click here to order yours >>

Or take a look at the old round £1 coins and complete your collection here >>

34 Comments

  1. margaret Garaghty on September 30, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    Is there a “RoundPound” card or display box I can put my full collection of £1 please.



  2. Samuel Okwei-Nortey on September 30, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    If you have an Edinburgh coin for sale, would you pls let me know if I could afford it. I have some Cardiff, London and Scotland Thistle and Bluebell coins for exchange or sale. (In good condition)



    • Luke Hearn on October 2, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Hi Samuel, unfortunately we do not have any Edinburgh £1 coins for sale, such is their scarcity – Luke



      • Samuel Okwei-Nortey on October 2, 2017 at 3:10 pm

        Thank you, Luke. But bare in mind that I am very interested in acquiring one. That’s the one I need to complete my collection.



  3. Ann m Kerr on September 30, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    Hi I have a 2pound coin with a old Lang syne could this be with anything thank you



    • Luke Hearn on October 2, 2017 at 10:57 am

      Hi Ann, This is the 2009 Robert Burns £2 coin which scores 19/100 on our scarcity index making it quite common: http://www.changechecker.org/coin/56/2pound-Robert-Burns.aspx If you are looking to sell, I would suggest seeing what similar coins have sold for on eBay. Thanks Luke



  4. Madeline williams on September 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    Still need Edinburgh for my collection. Please send me one I will pay.



    • Luke Hearn on October 2, 2017 at 10:58 am

      Hi Madeline, I’m afraid that we do not have any Edinburgh City £1 coins for sale such is the scarcity. Thank Luke



  5. Ian Coulson on September 30, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    Not wanting to sell but approximate how much Is a full set of Round Pound coins worth? Including the uncirculate last Pound coin 26 Pound coins in total
    Thanks in advance



    • Luke Hearn on October 2, 2017 at 11:00 am

      Hi Ian, I’m afraid that it’s impossible to say at the moment as it really depends on the condition of your coins and essentially what a collector would be willing to pay. However, we do predict that the value of these collections may rise once the coins are demonetised. Thanks Luke



  6. Ian Coulson on September 30, 2017 at 9:52 am

    What do you think the full set of round pound coins including the uncirculated one not wanting to sell just a approx price?



  7. Brummienutter on September 24, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    im pleased to say that i kept every 1988 crowned pound coin i ever got and now have over 24 spare including one proof silver which i got for £7!



  8. Sharon Lange on September 20, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    Do you have any info on a 1987 NI Flax, they all seem to be about 1986,1991??



    • Luke Hearn on September 21, 2017 at 10:36 am

      Hi Sharon, The NI Flax £1 was only struck in 1986 and 1991. If you have a coin with a date other than this, it is likely a fake I am afraid – Luke



    • ValerieF on September 30, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      I have one of those too. The Royal Mint informed me it was a fake. I am going to put mine in my collection suitably labelled.



  9. Glynis Tamin on September 20, 2017 at 1:24 pm

    Belfast £ coin ?



  10. Steve Roe on September 18, 2017 at 7:59 am

    I have a mis-struck one pound coin UK crowned shield. The stamp is about 1-2 mm off center could this be valuable ???



    • Luke Hearn on September 18, 2017 at 8:25 am

      Hi Steve, while interesting to collectors, mis-strikes are rarely worth much more than face value. Thanks Luke



      • Steve Roe on September 18, 2017 at 4:13 pm

        Thanks for the information



  11. Ajay Nawathe on September 16, 2017 at 8:48 pm

    What about the 2008 Royal Coat of Arms coin? I’m told they are quite scarce. What are they worth?



    • Michelle mccrea on September 18, 2017 at 4:08 pm

      I thought this was too Ajay Nawathe So am interested to know more info plz



    • Barrie B. on September 30, 2017 at 9:19 am

      3.9 million were in circulation



  12. Michelle mccrea on September 16, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Phew!! Thank the stars I haven’t cashed my stash in!!?? 3 x City of Edinburgh coins Cheers



  13. Suzanne on September 16, 2017 at 8:41 am

    Can someone help me. I’m sitting here with two Flax £1 coins and when the queens head is facing up one has the writing the right way up and one upside down. I have tried to google it but can’t seem to find an answer to if it’s a minting error. Does anyone have any information they could tell me. Thanks



    • Luke Hearn on September 20, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      Hi Suzanne, we’d be happy to take a look at this for you if you can email some photos to [email protected] ? Thanks – Luke



      • Suzanne on September 25, 2017 at 8:19 pm

        Thank you, I have just sent an email.

        Thanks

        Suzanne



      • Keith Hill on September 30, 2017 at 12:03 pm

        I believe thatthe edge lettering and the coin designs were stamped in separate processes and therefore its just random which way up the lettering appears. Certainly I have many of the pound coins with the lettering both ways.



    • Craig Harley on September 30, 2017 at 10:03 am

      I read somewhere that because the two sides of a coin are struck separately & not at the same time the writing around a coins perimeter can be either way up & also one side can be upright while the other upside down or any angle in between.



    • Phil B on September 30, 2017 at 11:52 am


  14. Richard Skelly. on September 16, 2017 at 4:04 am

    Nice one Luke. Wish I had known about all this 10 years ago ! Keep it coming. Always interesting.



  15. Terry McElligott on September 15, 2017 at 8:05 pm

    I have just lost pretty much all my collections which included these above after being burgled. So watch out they will be in circulation again.



  16. Caroline Driver on September 15, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    Aha. I have all of these, and no intention of cashing them in, they are going to be my pretty bits of metal collection!



  17. ALAN WALL on September 15, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    thank you very much for this info have printed out for my contact list x