Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted. Rarely sells: 3 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax Silver Proof (1986–1991)
Circulating version: 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Northern Irish Flax
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1986–1991 |
| Denomination | 1 Pound |
| Face value | £1 |
| Mintage | 37,958 |
| 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 |
| 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
A flax plant representing Northern Ireland, encircled by the Royal Diadem
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £28.38 🔒 | £28.38 (1) | – | £28.38 – £28.38 | 1 | 1 | 02-08-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £44.17 🔒 eBay | £29.83 (2) | – | £15.48 – £44.17 | 1 | 2 | 03-05-2026 | |
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| PR-69 | £54.88 🔒 eBay | £54.88 (1) | – | £54.88 – £54.88 | 1 | 1 | 27-06-2026 | |
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About the 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – Silver Proof
The 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – Silver Proof is a collector 1 pound coin issued from 1986 to 1991 in the Round Pound series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 9.5g and measures 22.5mm across. Reverse design: A flax plant representing Northern Ireland, encircled by the Royal Diadem.
A mintage of 37,958 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 2017), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – Silver Proof worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – Silver Proof run from £28.38 to £54.88 across 3 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 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – Silver Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II – Northern Irish Flax, not the coin found in change. It is struck in 92.5% silver rather than nickel.
How do I identify the 1986 1 Pound - Elizabeth II Northern Irish Flax – 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 – Northern Irish Flax. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Flax £1 is the Northern Ireland coin in the first series of national round pounds, which the Royal Mint describes as taking floral emblems as its theme. It followed the Scottish Thistle of 1984 and the Welsh Leek of 1985, and came round again in 1991.
It was struck in much smaller numbers than the two coins before it. The Royal Mint's figures give 10,409,501 for 1986, against 146,256,501 for the 1984 Thistle and 228,430,749 for the 1985 Leek. That makes 1986 the lowest date of the floral series, and the second lowest of any round £1 dated before 2008: only the 1988 Crowned Shield, at 7,118,825, is lower. The 1991 issue was larger at 38,443,575.
The two dates total 48,853,076, the lowest of the four floral designs. Round pounds lost their legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017.
The reverse is by Leslie Durbin, who designed all four floral coins. The Royal Mint's description is a flax plant and royal diadem, representing Northern Ireland. As on the thistle and leek coins, the plant is combined with the diadem, the element common to all four designs.
Scotland and Wales were given their own edge mottoes in 1984 and 1985. The Flax coin went back to DECUS ET TUTAMEN, the Latin inscription of the first round pound, which Check Your Change translates as "an ornament and safeguard". The edge is milled. The obverse has Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Elizabeth II, which the Royal Mint lists for round pounds from 1985 to 1997.
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)
- 1991 Elizabeth II 'Flax Plant and Royal Diadem, Representing Northern Ireland' £1 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1986 One Pound, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Round £1: N.I: Flax, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Your guide to Britain's round pounds, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1991 One Pound, Check Your Change (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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