1998 Royal Arms £1 Coin
The 1998 Royal Arms £1 is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1998
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Nickel-brass (70% copper, 24.5% zinc, 5.5% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1998 Royal Arms £1 worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 1 pound; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with crisp edge lettering
- Original Royal Mint pack or set
- A genuine mint error confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1998 Royal Arms £1 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £1 coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 1998 Royal Arms £1 coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 1998 Royal Arms £1 made of?
- Nickel-brass (70% copper, 24.5% zinc, 5.5% nickel). It weighs 9.5 g and measures 22.5 mm.
- Is the 1998 Royal Arms £1 still legal tender?
- No. The round pound stopped being legal tender on 15 October 2017. It can no longer be spent in shops; collectors still want the scarce dates.
Why the 1998 Royal Arms £1 was made
No 1998 pound coins were issued for circulation. The United Kingdom slot in the rotation came round again and Eric Sewell's royal arms design was struck with the 1998 date, but only for the Royal Mint's collector sets. Not a single one was released into change. That gives the 1998 Royal Arms an unusual place in the round pound series, as one of only two dates in this run that you would not expect to find in your purse.
The year also brought a new portrait. Ian Rank-Broadley's effigy of the Queen replaced Maklouf's on all UK coins in 1998, so the 1998 Royal Arms is the first round pound with the Rank-Broadley image. It shows a more mature Queen wearing a tiara. That portrait stayed on UK coins until 2015. The coin itself kept the standard specification of 22.5 mm, 9.5 g and nickel-brass with a lettered edge. Because it was sold only in sets, almost every surviving example has been well looked after, though a few set coins inevitably ended up being spent over the years.
How to recognize it
The reverse is Sewell's ornamental royal arms, with the lion and unicorn supporting a crowned shield and ONE POUND below. That is the same design as 1983, 1993 and 2003. Rank-Broadley's portrait on the obverse separates 1998 from the 1983 and 1993 coins, but the 2003 and 2008 coins have the same effigy, so the date is the final check and on a set coin it should be perfectly sharp. The Queen faces right in a tiara with a fuller, more lifelike profile than in the earlier portraits. Its lettered edge carries the familiar DECUS ET TUTAMEN. Set coins have sharp, even edge letters and smooth, unmarked fields.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
1998 Royal Arms £1 by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 1998 Royal Arms £1 because none were released to banks. It was the only collector-only £1 coin design dated 1998.
No commemorative £1 coin dated 1998 was released for circulation, which is why so many people hunting change for new designs never see this one.
What to check on your 1998 Royal Arms £1
- Read the edge. It should say DECUS ET TUTAMEN; an edge that doesn't match the design is the quickest sign of a fake.
- Turn the coin over on its vertical axis: on a genuine pound the design side is the same way up as the portrait. A tilted or upside-down reverse points to a copy.
- Weigh it: a genuine round pound weighs 9.5 g. Fakes are often light, soft in detail or a slightly different color.
- Remember that round pounds stopped being legal tender on 15 October 2017, so a common one has no use in shops.
There is no circulation mintage for 1998, since every coin with this date was made for collector sets. That makes it one of the dates people search for in old jars. A genuine one in fine condition carries a collector premium compared with ordinary dates. Most surviving coins are still in their original sets or packaging, which is the best way to keep them. Be cautious with a worn 1998 pound found loose in change. It could be a set coin that was spent, but given how many fakes circulated, have it checked before you assume it is genuine.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 pound |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1998 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Nickel-brass (70% copper, 24.5% zinc, 5.5% nickel) |
| Weight | 9.5 g |
| Diameter | 22.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: DECUS ET TUTAMEN |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Were any 1998 £1 coins put into circulation?
No. The 1998 Royal Arms pound was struck only for the Royal Mint's collector sets, with no circulation mintage. Any you find in change will have come out of a set and been spent, or may be a counterfeit.
Why is the 1998 pound coin sought after?
Because it was never issued into circulation. Collectors trying to complete a run of round pound dates need it. Since it only came in sets, a loose example is uncommon. It is also the first pound with Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait.
Mintage figures: One pound (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.