Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted. Sells occasionally: 8 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield Silver Proof (1988)
Circulating version: 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Crowned Royal Shield
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1988 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mintage | 50,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Round Pound Series |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | 2017 |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 9.500g · 0.2825 t oz |
| Diameter | 22.5mm |
| Thickness | 3.00mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Third crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around
Crowned Royal Shield of Arms above denomination
Silver Proof £1 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateSilver Proof £1 price history
Daily limit reachedSilver Proof £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 | £18.00 🔒 | £18.00 (1) | – | £18.00 – £18.00 | 0 | 1 | 28-08-2025 | |
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| PR-65 | £21.50 🔒 eBay | £24.79 | – | £21.50 – £30.00 | 8 | 8 | 18-10-2026 | |
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About the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof
The 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof is a collector 1 pound coin in the Round Pound series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 9.5g and measures 22.5mm across. Reverse design: Crowned Royal Shield of Arms above denomination.
50,000 were struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof run from £18.00 to £24.79 across 2 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its silver content is worth about £11.32 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Crowned Royal Shield, not the coin found in change. It is struck in 92.5% silver rather than nickel.
How do I identify the 1988 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Crowned Royal Shield – Silver Proof?
Check the weight 9.5g and diameter 22.5mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Crowned Royal Shield. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
By 1988 the round pound had been through its first cycle: the Royal Arms in 1983, then a floral emblem for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England in the four years after. In its sixth year the coin returned to the United Kingdom as a whole, but with a new design in place of the 1983 one.
That design lasted a single year. Every £1 dated 1988 carries it, and Change Checker notes that 1988 was the only year it was used. In 1989 the sequence went back to the Scottish Thistle, and when the United Kingdom's turn came again in 1993 the original Royal Arms returned.
The Royal Mint's figures give 7,118,825 struck for circulation. That is the lowest of any round £1 dated before 2008, below even the 10,409,501 of the 1986 Flax. Nine later round pounds have lower figures, all dated 2008 to 2014. Round pounds lost their legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.
The reverse is by Derek Gorringe. The Royal Mint describes it as the Shield of the Royal Arms, representing the United Kingdom, and collectors call it the Crowned Shield. The Mint describes Eric Sewell's 1983 design as the Royal Arms, so the two United Kingdom coins of the 1980s are distinct designs by different artists.
Change Checker traces the Royal Arms back to Richard I, whose arms showed three gold lions, and describes the 1988 reverse as the most modern version of arms that have been adapted over the centuries.
The milled edge reads DECUS ET TUTAMEN, the inscription of the 1983 coin, which Check Your Change translates as "an ornament and safeguard". The obverse has Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Elizabeth II.
Sources
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £1 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1988 One Pound, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Round £1: UK: Crowned Shield, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Your guide to Britain's round pounds, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Why does the edge inscription on the £2 and £1 coins sometimes appear "upside down"?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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