People are only just noticing ‘hidden’ detail on £1 coins | Weird | News
£1 coins have a hidden feature you may not have noticed (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Our coins and banknotes are absolutely packed with hidden details intended to make them as difficult to counterfeit as possible. Holograms, embossed letters and even the material they are made of; All of this comes together to make it really, really difficult to create convincing counterfeit money. And some of these security features are so complex that you may not even realize they’re there, even though you see them every day.
One person posted an image on Reddit highlighting a detail about the current version of the £1 coin introduced in 2017. The 12-sided or dodecagonal coin replaced the original round coin, which first came into circulation in 1983, and replaced the £1 note, which itself was withdrawn in 1988.
Posting two close-up photos of the edge of a £1 coin, a Reddit user said: “TIL (I found out today) the sterling coins had ‘one pound’ written in tiny writing on the edge.”
The images revealed that the coin had the words ‘ONE LIRA’ written in small script on the outside, just before the raised edge. Other Reddit users were fascinated by this statement.
One person explained: “This is part of what’s called filigree, which is basically a decorative part of a coin to stop fraud. In ancient times when coins were minted and had a monetary value in gold/silver, people would cut pieces off the edges to make the coin look legible while still getting some of the value. Filigree applies equally to buttons and rings as well as coins.”
Another wrote: “I noticed this on one of the new Bee £1 coins recently. There is so much detail, I love such attention to detail for something that needs nothing but a number on it.”
Another responder said: “It needs features to stop people committing counterfeiting. The Royal Mint estimates that up to three per cent of old £1 coins are counterfeit, meaning there is around £30,000,000 of stolen coins in circulation.”
Another wrote: “The microtext also has the date on the other side and there was an error on some of the 2016 coins that said 2017 instead of the microtext.”
Another said: “I’ve never accepted the new shape. You’d think after all these years I’d be used to it. I guess it’s because I grew up with the round weight and the surprise and excitement of finding one behind a sofa or in a bar really etched the original shape into me.”
Another joked: “I never knew about this. I was too busy getting the chocolate in when they first came out.”
What other security features do the 12-sided £1 coins have?
The Royal Mint, which produces all UK coins, announced that the 12-sided £1 coin consists of a gold-coloured outer ring made of nickel and brass and a silver-coloured inner ring made of nickel-plated alloy. It has a hologram-like image at the bottom that shows the symbol £ or the number 1, depending on the angle from which it is viewed.
In addition to the text ‘ONE POUND’ on the ‘text’ side, the year of production is also displayed in the same section on the ‘tail’ side. The coin also has a secret security feature, the details of which the Royal Mint has not disclosed but has said makes it “the safest coin in the world”.
The Royal Mint said: “The £1 round coin has been replaced for the first time in over 30 years due to its vulnerability to sophisticated counterfeiting. “One in approximately 30 round £1 coins in circulation was counterfeit.
“To reduce the costs of counterfeiting to businesses and taxpayers, we launched a new, highly secure coin on 28 March 2017. Businesses across the UK upgraded their machines to accept the new £1 coin. Some waited until July 2017, when there were more new £1 coins in circulation than £1 coins.
“The legal tender status of the £1 round coin was withdrawn at 11.59pm on Sunday 15 October 2017. From this date shops and businesses no longer accept these coins but they can still be taken to banks or donated.”
