The Royal Mint last week announced a competition for a design for the new £1 coin. It is open internationally do you too could win £10,000 if your's is chosen. Shortlisted designs win at least £250. When you look at the hints and tips they give for designers, you might well think they knew something about the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum;
Since its launch the £1 coin has represented the nations of the United Kingdom – your coin should continue that tradition and symbolise the UK in a clear and unambiguous way. Here are some hints and tips to get you started:
Try to create a design that represents Britain in a clear and unambiguous way.
Whatever you choose as your inspiration, it must be readily understood to represent Britain. Think of symbols, heraldry, words, aspects of the natural world, man-made structures such as buildings and monuments, British achievements, whether social, political or cultural, and British institutions.
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You only have to design one side, the other is a standard Queen's head design. The new coin will start circulation in 2017 to replace the existing one. The old coin is susceptible to counterfeiting as it is one color, round and with milled and engraved edges. It is gold colored which led to an early nickname of a "Maggie" after Thatcher - on the grounds it was cheap, brassy and pretending to be a sovereign.
The new coin will be two color, like the £2 coin with a "silver" circle center and "gold" rim. Unlike the circular £2 coin, the £1 will be 12 sided. This shape was last used in pre-decimal currency for the 3 pence (£0.0s.3d.) piece. That was usually called the threepenny bit or piece (often pronounced "thrupenny"). And yes, they do roll down the chutes of coin slots.