Britain's new 12-sided pound coin the ‘most secure’ in the world, has hologram-like image to beat fakes
About three per cent of the current round-shaped coins are fakes
Britain’s new £1 coin with the symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland goes into circulation from Tuesday on the eve of the launch of a Brexit process that has put national unity in doubt.
The 12-sided coin is the first change to the shape of the £1 coin since its introduction in 1983. Britain’s finance ministry said the new coin would be “the most secure of its kind in the world” to prevent a rise in counterfeits.
About three per cent of the current round-shaped coins are fakes.
The new pound coins will be thinner, lighter and slightly bigger than the old ones and will have a hologram-like image that changes from a “£” symbol to the number “1” when viewed from different angles.
“Staying ahead of sophisticated counterfeiters remains a constant challenge and this coin helps in that battle,” said Adam Lawrence, head of the Royal Mint, which is producing around 1.5 billion new coins.