Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Rarely sells: 1 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Pound - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait English Lions (1997)
"1997 Three Lions £1"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1997 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mintage | 57,117,450 |
| 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 | Raphael Maklouf |
| Rev. artist | Norman Sillman |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Third crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around
Three lions passant guardant above denomination
English Lions £1 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateEnglish Lions £1 price history
Daily limit reachedEnglish Lions £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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-65 | £14.99 🔒 eBay | £14.99 (1) | – | £14.99 – £14.99 | 1 | 1 | 01-08-2026 | |
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About the 1997 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – English Lions
The 1997 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – English Lions 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: Three lions passant guardant above denomination.
57,117,450 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1997 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – English Lions worth?
The 1997 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – English Lions has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £14.99 in PR-65, the median of its verified sales.
Is the 1997 Three Lions £1 rare?
No. The Royal Mint's figures give 57,117,450 struck for circulation, which places it 16th highest of the 41 round £1 entries. It is a common coin, and its interest lies in the design and in being the last round pound with Raphael Maklouf's portrait.
What do the three lions on the £1 coin mean?
They are the three lions passant guardant of England. The Royal Mint says the three lions date back to Richard the Lionheart, who reigned from 1189 to 1199 and used three golden lions on a scarlet background as a symbol of the English throne.
Who designed the 1997 £1 coin?
Norman Sillman designed the three lions reverse, the fourth and last of his national designs for the heraldic £1 series. The obverse portrait is by Raphael Maklouf, which the Royal Mint lists for round pounds from 1985 to 1997.
What is the difference between the 1997 and 2002 Three Lions £1?
The portrait and the date. The 1997 coin has Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen and 57,117,450 were struck. The 2002 coin has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait and a mintage of 77,818,000. The reverse and the DECUS ET TUTAMEN edge are the same on both.
Can I still use a 1997 £1 coin?
No. Round pounds stopped being legal tender at midnight on 15 October 2017. The Royal Mint says they can still be deposited at most UK high street banks, with arrangements and limits that vary from bank to bank, or donated to charity.
How do I identify the 1997 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – English Lions?
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
The 1997 pound was England's coin in the heraldic series, the second cycle of round £1 designs. The first cycle had used plants, and the English pounds of 1987 and 1992 showed an oak tree. From 1994 the nations were given heraldic emblems instead, ending with England in 1997.
The Royal Mint's figures give 57,117,450 struck for circulation, the 16th highest of the 41 round £1 entries. Of the four heraldic pounds issued from 1994 to 1997 only the 1996 Celtic Cross, at 89,886,000, had a larger issue. It was also the last round pound to carry Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen, which gave way to Ian Rank-Broadley's in 1998.
Round pounds were replaced by the 12-sided £1 from 28 March 2017 and lost their legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.
The reverse, by Norman Sillman, shows three lions passant guardant, representing England. The Royal Mint says the three lions date back to Richard the Lionheart, king from 1189 to 1199, who used three golden lions on a scarlet background as a symbol of the English throne.
It completed Sillman's set of four national designs. He also designed the 1986 Commonwealth Games £2, but a 2011 newspaper profile said he was best known in the UK for his pounds. Asked whether he was proud of them, he said: "It is just a part of what one does; although I suppose you could say it was a dream job, as it combined a number of my interests."
The milled edge reads DECUS ET TUTAMEN, the Latin inscription shared with the oak tree pounds and translated as "an ornament and safeguard".
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
Two round pounds show the three lions, and they differ only in the portrait and date. This one has the Maklouf portrait. The later issue, with Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait, is the 2002 English Lions £1.
The 1997 coin had 20 years in circulation before round pounds were withdrawn, so most surviving examples show wear. Judge condition by the detail left on the three lions and the clarity of the edge inscription. The Royal Mint specification for a round pound is 9.5 g and 22.5 mm.
Collector versions were struck in silver, as a proof and as a piedfort. The coin before it in the series is the 1996 Celtic Cross £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 (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- One Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1997 Elizabeth II 'Three Lions, Representing England' £1 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1997 One Pound, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Article highlights Royal Mint coin sculptor Norman Sillman (The E-Sylum, volume 14, number 44, 23 October 2011, excerpting the Diss Express), Numismatic Bibliomania Society (read 9 Oct 2026)
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