Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells often: 40 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Pound - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait Royal Arms (1983)
"1983 Royal Arms £1"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1983 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mintage | 443,053,510 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Round Pound Series |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 2017 |
| Composition | Nickel brass |
| Weight | 9.500g |
| Diameter | 22.5mm |
| Thickness | 3.15mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled with inscription: DECUS ET TUTAMEN |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Arnold Machin |
| Rev. artist | Eric Sewell |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Second crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
Royal Arms with supporters, denomination below.
Royal Arms £1 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateRoyal Arms £1 price history
Daily limit reachedRoyal Arms £1 value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £2.49 🔒 eBay | £2.49 (1) | – | £2.49 – £2.49 | 1 | 1 | 27-09-2026 | |
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| BU | £4.97 🔒 eBay | £5.48 (2) | – | £4.97 – £5.99 | 2 | 2 | 15-04-2026 | |
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| VF | £5.34 🔒 eBay | £4.49 | – | £1.17 – £13.24 | 29 | 29 | 16-10-2026 | |
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| MS-65 | £49.00 🔒 eBay | £49.00 (1) | – | £49.00 – £49.00 | 1 | 1 | 04-02-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £10.80 🔒 eBay | £5.97 | – | £4.79 – £10.80 | 7 | 7 | 05-10-2026 | |
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About the 1983 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Arms
The 1983 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Arms is a circulating 1 pound coin in the Round Pound series, struck in nickel brass. It weighs 9.5g and measures 22.5mm across. Reverse design: Royal Arms with supporters, denomination below.
443,053,510 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1983 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Arms worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1983 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Arms run from £2.49 to £49.00 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Is the 1983 £1 coin rare?
No. The Royal Mint's figures give 443,053,510 struck for circulation, the largest mintage of any round £1 date. The next highest, the 1985 Leek, had 228,430,749. Its interest is as the first round pound, not as a scarce coin.
Can I still spend a 1983 round pound?
No. The round £1 lost its legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017, after the 12-sided £1 was released on 28 March 2017. The Royal Mint says most UK high street banks may still accept round pounds for deposit, with limits that vary by bank.
Who designed the 1983 £1 coin?
Eric Sewell designed the Royal Arms reverse. The Queen's portrait on the obverse is by Arnold Machin, whose effigy the Royal Mint lists for round £1 coins of 1983 and 1984 only, before Raphael Maklouf's portrait took over in 1985.
What does DECUS ET TUTAMEN mean on the £1 coin?
DECUS ET TUTAMEN is the Latin inscription on the edge of the 1983 £1 coin. Check Your Change translates it as "an ornament and safeguard" and explains that edge lettering let the public confirm a coin's edge was complete, and so that the coin was of good weight.
When was the first £1 coin issued?
The round £1 coin was first issued on 21 April 1983. The government had announced it on 31 July 1981, after concluding that the pound was better suited to a coin than a note: a note lasted about nine months on average, while a coin can last 40 years or more.
How do I identify the 1983 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Arms?
Check the weight 9.5g and diameter 22.5mm and the metal (nickel brass) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
By 1980 the pound had lost enough buying power that a coin made more sense than a note. The Royal Mint records that a £1 note lasted about nine months on average, while a coin can last 40 years or more, and that the growing vending industry also needed a durable coin. After consulting retailers and others, the government announced on 31 July 1981 that a £1 coin would be issued, and it entered circulation on 21 April 1983.
This is that first coin. The Royal Mint's figures give 443,053,510 struck for circulation, the largest mintage of any round £1 date. The next highest, the 1985 Leek, had 228,430,749. The round pound was replaced by the 12-sided £1 from 28 March 2017 and lost its legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.
The reverse, by Eric Sewell, shows the Royal Arms and stands for the United Kingdom as a whole. Later round pounds took the four nations in turn. The Royal Arms design returned on coins dated 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008.
The coin is nickel-brass, thick for its size and yellow in colour, so that it stood apart from the cupro-nickel coins then in use. The milled edge carries the Latin inscription DECUS ET TUTAMEN, translated as "an ornament and safeguard". The obverse has Arnold Machin's portrait of Elizabeth II, which the Royal Mint lists for round pounds of 1983 and 1984 only.
Collecting notes
With a mintage this large, the 1983 pound is the most plentiful round £1 and its appeal is as the first of the series. The coins circulated for up to 34 years, so condition is the thing to look for: sharp detail in the arms, a clear edge inscription and clean surfaces.
It can no longer be spent. The Royal Mint says most high street banks may still accept round pounds for deposit, with limits that vary by bank. A genuine coin should match the Royal Mint specification of 9.5 g and 22.5 mm.
The design was also struck as a silver proof and a silver piedfort for collectors. The same reverse with a later portrait is catalogued separately, for example the 1993 Royal Arms £1.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- UK coin mintage figures (mintages.json data file behind the Royal Mint mintage pages), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- One Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1983 Elizabeth II Royal Arms representing the United Kingdom £1 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £1 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (page served on a royalmintmuseum.org.uk host) (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1983 One Pound, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
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