Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 44 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Pound - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Cardiff (2011)
"Cardiff £1"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2011 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mintage | 1,615,000 |
| 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: Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Stuart Devlin |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
The official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom with the badge of Cardiff being the principle focus.
Cardiff £1 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateCardiff £1 price history
Daily limit reachedCardiff £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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £10.95 🔒 eBay | £11.85 | – | £8.66 – £49.99 | 17 | 17 | 27-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £3.31 🔒 eBay | £3.95 | – | £1.78 – £64.95 | 19 | 19 | 09-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £11.00 🔒 eBay | £11.00 | – | £7.99 – £12.95 | 7 | 7 | 13-09-2026 | |
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| PR-69 | £37.00 🔒 eBay | £37.00 (1) | – | £37.00 – £37.00 | 1 | 1 | 01-04-2026 | |
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About the 2011 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Cardiff
The 2011 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Cardiff 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: The official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom with the badge of Cardiff being the principle focus.
1,615,000 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Cardiff worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2011 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Cardiff run from £3.95 to £37.00 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Is the Cardiff £1 coin rare?
It is the second scarcest round pound by mintage. The Royal Mint's figures give 1,615,000 struck for circulation. Only the 2011 Edinburgh coin, at 935,000, is lower among the 41 round £1 entries from 1983 to 2015. The 2010 London coin is next at 2,635,000.
How many Cardiff £1 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 1,615,000 Cardiff £1 coins struck for circulation, all dated 2011. In the same year 25,415,000 Royal Shield pounds and 935,000 Edinburgh pounds were struck, so the Cardiff coin was under 6 per cent of the 2011 round pounds.
What does Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN mean?
It is the Welsh motto on the edge of the Cardiff £1. The Royal Mint's 2011 announcement translated it as "The Red Dragon shall lead". Other references word it differently: Check Your Change gives "the red dragon inspires action".
What is shown on the Cardiff £1?
Cardiff's coat of arms, made circular. The Royal Mint describes a red dragon, the emblem of Wales, standing on a grassy mound from which a leek grows and supporting a banner with three chevrons. The arms of London, Belfast and Edinburgh also appear.
Is the Cardiff £1 still legal tender?
No. Like all round pounds it lost its legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017 and cannot be spent. The Royal Mint says most UK high street banks may still accept round £1 coins for deposit, though arrangements vary.
How do I identify the 2011 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Cardiff?
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 Cardiff pound is the third of four round pounds for the capital cities of the United Kingdom, after London and Belfast in 2010 and before Edinburgh later in 2011. The Royal Mint unveiled it in gold and silver on 1 March 2011, St David's Day, and said a version for circulation would follow later that year. By the Mint's count it was the 18th design to appear on the £1 since 1983.
The coin had a local connection for the Mint. Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint Museum, said at the launch that the Mint had been based in South Wales for more than 40 years, "so this particular coin is close to our hearts".
The Royal Mint's figures give 1,615,000 struck for circulation. Among the 41 round £1 entries from 1983 to 2015 only the Edinburgh coin of the same year is lower, at 935,000. The standard Royal Shield pound dated 2011 had 25,415,000. Round pounds lost their legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.
Stuart Devlin, described by the Mint as an international coin designer and jeweller to the Queen, designed all four coins. Each shows the arms of the four capitals with one given pride of place, on shields made round to suit the coin.
For Cardiff the Royal Mint describes the city's coat of arms: a red dragon, the emblem of Wales, standing on a grassy mound from which a leek grows and supporting a banner with three chevrons. The name CARDIFF and ONE POUND accompany the design.
The milled edge carries the Welsh motto Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN, which the Mint translated as "The Red Dragon shall lead". The obverse has the portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. Because the capital city reverses share a layout, confirm the name CARDIFF, the 2011 date and the Welsh edge motto. A different Welsh inscription, PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD, belongs to other Welsh pounds and not to this one.
Check Your Change notes that edge lettering on round pounds can face either way up at random, and that counterfeits often have an edge that does not match the reverse. The coin can no longer be found in change.
The site also lists a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof. The other 2011 capital is the Edinburgh £1, and Wales appears again on the 2013 Leek and Daffodil £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)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of one pound coins (notice B-7131-1101/6), The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Cardiff's Coat of Arms to Feature on New UK £1 Coin (news release, 1 March 2011), The Royal Mint (archived copy, Internet Archive) (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2011 One Pound, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Round £1: Wales: Cardiff City, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Royal Mint announces new £1 London coin with contemporary twist (news release, 5 March 2010), The Royal Mint (archived copy, Internet Archive) (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Old £1 Coins, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
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