Picture this: You’re at the self-checkout in Tesco, trying to pay for a pint of milk and a bag of apples. You drop a coin into the machine, and it feels different—like someone swapped your favourite jumper for a brand-new one. That was the new pound coin, making its quiet, unassuming entrance into everyday life.
Remember the old one? It was a simple, round, gold-coloured slab. The new one is a 12-sided marvel, like a little stop sign from a miniature town. It’s also bi-metallic—a gold ring with a silver centre—so it looks like it’s wearing a tiny, fancy belt.
And here’s the fun part: if you tilt it, you can see a hologram-like image that changes between a ‘£’ symbol and the number ‘1’. It’s like a magic trick for your fingertips. Suddenly, paying for a parking ticket feels a bit more exciting.
Why it matters for your daily splash-out
Let’s be honest—most of us don’t think about coins until we need one for a trolley at the supermarket. But the new pound coin made that moment a lot less stressful. The old ones were so easily faked that parking meters and vending machines would sometimes reject your legitimate coin, leaving you fuming.
With the new design, counterfeiting plummeted. The Royal Mint says it uses advanced tech that makes it a nightmare for forgers. So, the next time you feed a machine to get a bag of crisps, you can trust that shiny little thing will work—no awkward dance of trying five different coins.
It’s also a security blanket for shopkeepers. Imagine being a cashier and having to squint at every round pound, wondering if it’s fake. Now, they can just smile and take your money without the drama. That’s a win for everyone’s morning coffee run.
When did the new pound coin come out in 2017? All you need to know
