1983 UK BU £1 Coin – The Royal Arms – Presentation Pack

The year 1983 is significant for the United Kingdom as it heralds the introduction of the new one pound coin which entered circulation on 21^st April 1983.

The reverse of the coin shows the Royal Arms, and it is appropriate that it should feature on one of the nation’s premier coins.

Queen Elizabeth II is a direct descendent of the Sovereigns of England, of Ireland and of Scotland.  Accordingly Her Majesty is head of one of the oldest continuing Royal lines in Christendom.  As the embodiment of the Sovereignty of those countries, Her Majesty quarters their historic Arms.

The Royal Arms achieved their present form upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 and have remained essentially the same ever since.  The obverse of the coin shows the Arnold Machin portrait of The Queen which has appeared on nearly all UK coinage since 1968.

On the edge of the coin is an inscription in Latin, “Decus et Tutamen” which may be translated as an “ornament and a safeguard”.  On the milled edge of the coin is the Royal Mint Llantrisant mint mark – a cross crosslet.

The one pound coin is in a presentation folder and is of uncirculated quality and has been carefully handled to avoid damage.

Specification

Diameter – 22.5mm
Weight – 9.5g
Alloy – Nickel-brass