1998 One Pound Coin – Royal Arms


The 1998 One Pound Coin - Royal Arms

The 1998 One Pound Coin. The coin did not enter circulation as the new two-pound coins were issued in this year and it was deemed that sufficient coinage was available to the public. The coin is in year sets.

The reverse shows the Ornamental royal arms which represents the United Kingdom. The design by Eric Sewell has been used on one-pound coins in 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008.

The Obverse is the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.

The edge inscription is DECUS ET TUTAMEN which means 'An ornament and a safeguard'.

Image credit: The Royal Mint


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1998 ?
Monarch is Elizabeth II. Prime Minister is Tony Blair (Labour). US President is Bill Clinton. UK takes over the Presidency of the EC's Council of Ministers. Eurovision Song Contest held at NIA in Birmingham; Danijela wins for Croatia. DVD's appear in the UK, selling 6,000 in first six months. Omagh bombing kills 29. U.S. Spacecraft Finds Water on Moon. On 15 June the bi-metallic two pound coin goes into circulation (coins are dated 1997).
Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British Monarch ever, reigning for over 70 years. Born on 21 April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was on 2 June 1953. She died on 8 September 2022. Some coins were released dated 2023.

Queen Elizabeth II issued many coins and was monarch during decimalisation. She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and had four children. Her eldest son succeeded the throne as King Charles III. House of Windsor.
Category: One Pound Coins

The main currency of the UK, the GBP £1 coin replaced the previous £1 banknote in April 1983.

The 1998 One Pound Coin - Royal Arms (a British one pound (£1) coin) is a denomination of the pound sterling. The Obverse bears the Latin engraving "Dei Gratia Regina" meaning, "By the grace of God, Queen" and FD meaning "Defender of the Faith."

It featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II when the coin was introduction on 21 April 1983. Four different portraits of the Queen were used:

  • 1983-1984, Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin
  • 1985-1997, Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf
  • 1998-2015, Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley
  • 2015-2023, Elizabeth II by Jody Clark
  • 2023 to date, Charles III by Martin Jennings
In addition to the standard reverse, one or two new designs may be minted each year.

The coin replaced the Bank of England £1 note, which ceased to be issued at the end of 1984 and was removed from circulation on 11 March 1988, though still redeemable at the Bank's offices, like all English banknotes. One-pound notes continue to be issued in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and by the Royal Bank of Scotland, but the pound coin is much more widely used.

The round coin is made in Nickel-brass (70% Cu, 24.5% Zn, and 5.5% Ni). Most years there has been a variant as silver, piedfort silver, gold and sometimes platinum.

At 31 March 2016 it was estimated that there were 1,671,328,000 pound coins in circulation. The Royal Mint estimated in 2014 that 3.04% (about 47 million) were counterfeit and mainly because of this it was decided to change the design. Note that even some of the uncirculated coins have been counterfeited so this is still a problem for collectors.

Most one pound coins have an edge inscription, although sometimes this has been replaced with incuse patterns. The common inscriptions are:

Edge Inscription Translation/etymology
DECUS ET TUTAMEN 'An ornament and a safeguard' from Virgil's Aeneid
NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT 'No one provokes me with impunity'. The Motto of the Order of the Thistle
PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD 'True am I to my country' from the Welsh National Anthem
PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS 'What shall we give in return for so much.' The Motto of Belfast
DOMINE DIRIGE NOS 'Lord direct us.' The Motto of London
Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN ‘The Red Dragon shall lead’ The Motto of Cardiff
NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA ‘It is vain without the Lord’ The Motto of Edinburgh

Production

The final 'round' coins were minted in December 2015. Their replacement, a new 12-sided design, was introduced from 28 March 2017 onwards. It is of a similar 12-sided shape to the pre-decimal brass threepence coin, is roughly the same size as the round £1 coin and is bimetallic like the current £2 coin. The new design was intended to make counterfeiting more difficult, via an undisclosed hidden security feature, called 'iSIS' (Integrated Secure Identification Systems).

To reach the initial production of 1.5 billion pound coins to replace the exsiting coins the Royal Mint used ten presses 24×7 making 140,000 coins per hour. It takes a long time to restock the entire country and that’s why the new coins were dated 2016 and 2017 despite not being legal tender until March 2017. 

The old round one pound coin ceased to be legal tender on 15 October 2017.
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the One Pound Coins page on eBay UK
As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.

List items on:

1983 - 2024 Elizabeth II £1 One Pound Coin Proof  - Choose Your Year
1983 - 2024 Elizabeth II £1 One Pound Coin Proof - Choose Your Year
£ 13.99
OldOne Pound Coin 1998 Royal Arms Representing The United Kingdom
OldOne Pound Coin 1998 Royal Arms Representing The United Kingdom
£ 12.00
Great Britain, Proof £1, One Pound Coin, Choice of Year, Choose Your Date
Great Britain, Proof £1, One Pound Coin, Choice of Year, Choose Your Date
£ 14.00
1998 The Royal Mint The Royal Coat of Arms UK Proof One Pound £1 coin
1998 The Royal Mint The Royal Coat of Arms UK Proof One Pound £1 coin
£ 19.99
Royal Mint Royal Arms 1998 One Pound Silver Proof Coin - £1 UK in Case With Cert
Royal Mint Royal Arms 1998 One Pound Silver Proof Coin - £1 UK in Case With Cert
£ 18.00
£1 One Pound Coin BUNC and PROOF 1983 to 2016 Uncirculated Round Pound from Sets
£1 One Pound Coin BUNC and PROOF 1983 to 2016 Uncirculated Round Pound from Sets
£ 16.49
1983 - 2024 Royal Mint £1 One Pound PROOF Coin - Choose Your Year
1983 - 2024 Royal Mint £1 One Pound PROOF Coin - Choose Your Year
£ 13.99
British £1 One Pound Proof Uncirculated Coin Choice of Year 1983 to 2016
British £1 One Pound Proof Uncirculated Coin Choice of Year 1983 to 2016
£ 32.50

List items on: