1 Pound - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Royal Shield (2008–2015)

One row for each year the 1 Pound - Elizabeth II 4th portrait – Royal Shield was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 2008 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Shield

The 2008 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Royal Shield is a circulating 1 pound coin issued from 2008 to 2015 in the Round Pound series, struck in nickel brass. It weighs 9.5g and measures 22.5mm across. Reverse design: Quartered Royal Shield of Arms divides denomination.

Mintage figures are recorded for 8 years between 2008 and 2015, 311,663,630 coins in all. 2013 is the scarcest date, with 13,090,500 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

Until 2008 the reverse of the round pound changed every year. That stopped when the Royal Mint replaced the reverses of all seven coins from the 1p to the £1 at once. The designs were unveiled on 2 April 2008 after a public competition that drew more than 4,000 entries, and the Mint said it was the first time one design had been used across a range of coins.

The Royal Shield became the standard £1 and was struck for circulation with every date from 2008 to 2015, alongside the capital city and floral pounds of 2010 to 2014. In 2008 it also shared the year with 3,910,000 pounds of the older Royal Arms design.

The Royal Mint's figures give 43,827,300 for 2008 and 311,663,630 over the eight dates. The highest is 2014 with 79,305,200 and the lowest 2013 with 13,090,500. Round pounds lost their legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.

The designer is Matthew Dent, a graphic designer from Bangor in North Wales who was 26 at the time. His six lower denominations each carry a detail of the Shield of the Royal Arms and form the complete shield when laid together. The £1 shows the shield whole, with ONE to its left and POUND to its right.

Dent said of the set: "I primarily want my new designs to intrigue, to entertain and to raise a smile."

The milled edge carries the incuse inscription DECUS ET TUTAMEN, translated as "an ornament and safeguard". The obverse has the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley. Check Your Change notes that pounds of 2008 to 2015 have no beading around the rim on either side.

Collecting notes

No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. The edge lettering can read either way up in relation to the Queen's head. Check Your Change describes this as completely random, so an "upside down" edge is not an error.

For a date run, 2013 and 2011 are the two lowest figures, but all eight dates were struck in the tens of millions. Counterfeit round pounds were widespread, and Check Your Change notes that fakes are of lower quality and often have an edge inscription that does not match the reverse and date.

When the portrait changed in 2015 the shield continued with the fifth portrait, catalogued separately as the fifth portrait Royal Shield £1. The site also lists a 2008 silver piedfort of this design.