Last Round Pound £1 (2016)

Every Last Round Pound came from a Royal Mint pack or set, so presentation and condition drive the price rather than wear from use. A coin still sealed in its original pack is the easiest to sell, and dealers also offer loose coins in capsules or with certificates. Handling marks, fingerprints or toning on a loose coin pull it down. Like every round pound, it is no longer legal tender, so its value lies entirely with collectors.

The Last Round Pound £1 was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.

This coin never came out of a till. Look for St Edward's Crown in the centre, with a lion, a unicorn, a dragon and a stag each in its own quarter around it, and the initials GKC. The words ONE and POUND are split apart on this side, and 2016 appears on the heads side with Jody Clark's portrait. The edge reads DECUS ET TUTAMEN. A round pound with the four beasts came from a Royal Mint pack or a precious-metal set.

With the 12-sided coin due in 2017, the Royal Mint marked the end of the round pound with a 2016 design that would never be issued for circulation; the last round pounds for change had already been struck in December 2015. The design came from Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, an amateur artist and collector of coins who had been drawn to heraldry since childhood. He had entered the competition for the new 12-sided coin, and one of his flower designs reached the shortlist, but it was a late entry showing royal beasts that the Royal Mint picked for the farewell coin. St Edward's Crown sits at the centre, and the quarters around it hold the English lion, the Scottish unicorn, the Welsh dragon and a stag for Northern Ireland. Cameron gave each beast an equal share, letting parts of one spill into the next, so the dragon's wing crosses into the lion's space. His initials GKC appear on this side, with Jody Clark's portrait on the other. During 2016, visitors to the new Royal Mint Experience at Llantrisant could strike this coin themselves.