2000 Dragon £1 Coin
The 2000 Dragon £1 is a circulating £1 coin with 109.5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2000
- Circulation mintage
- 109,496,500
- Value band
- Face value
- 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 2000 Dragon £1 worth?
With 109.5 million made, the 2000 Dragon £1 is common. It has no collector value beyond the pound itself. Since 15 October 2017 the round pound can no longer be spent in shops. Only uncirculated coins from sets, genuine errors and the scarce dates bring more.
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 2000 Dragon £1 rare?
- No. 109.5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2000 Dragon £1 coins were made?
- 109,496,500 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2000 Dragon £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 2000 Dragon £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 2000 Dragon £1 was made
The Welsh dragon came back for the millennium year. Norman Sillman's design, first used on the 1995 pound, was struck again with the 2000 date, now paired with Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen. That makes the 2000 Dragon the first Welsh pound with the Rank-Broadley image and the only Dragon pound to carry it.
Unlike the two set-only years before it, the 2000 coin was produced in very large numbers. The Royal Mint struck 109,496,500 for circulation, the fifth highest figure among round pounds from 1983 to 2007 and roughly three times the 1995 Dragon. It followed two years in which no pounds at all were released for circulation. Most Dragon pounds found today are 2000 coins for that reason. The specification was unchanged at 22.5 mm, 9.5 g and nickel-brass with a lettered edge. It remained legal tender until the round pound was withdrawn on 15 October 2017, after which shops stopped accepting Welsh dragon pounds along with every other round pound. The 2000 coin was also the last Dragon pound ever issued.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows Sillman's Welsh dragon passant, wings raised and one foreleg lifted, with ONE POUND below. The obverse has Rank-Broadley's effigy of the Queen in a tiara, which distinguishes it from the 1995 Dragon with Maklouf's diadem portrait. The edge reads PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD, "true am I to my country", from the Welsh national anthem. That inscription appears on every Welsh round pound from the leek to the dragon. A Dragon pound with DECUS ET TUTAMEN or NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT on the edge is not genuine. Look for clean, separate scales on the wings and body. On a heavily worn coin the dragon's outline survives well after the finer detail has gone.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2000 Dragon £1 by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2000 Dragon £1 ranks 36th lowest of 41 circulating £1 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2005 Menai Straits Bridge £1 (99.4 million); the next more common is the 1993 Royal Arms £1 (114.7 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1983 Royal Arms £1 with 443.1 million, about 4 times as many. The scarcest is the 2011 Edinburgh £1 with 935,000, 117 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative £1 coin dated 2000.
What to check on your 2000 Dragon £1
- Read the edge. It should say PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD; 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.
With more than 109 million made, the 2000 Dragon is one of the most common round pounds and circulated coins carry only face value. Unworn coins from the 2000 Royal Mint sets interest date collectors, but there is no shortage. With roughly one round pound in thirty fake by the time of withdrawal, it pays to check any you keep. A genuine coin has an even golden color, a crisp portrait and edge lettering that is sharp and properly spaced. Fakes often look slightly off in color or have a fuzzy, uneven edge.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 pound |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2000 |
| Circulation mintage | 109,496,500 |
| Composition | Nickel-brass (70% copper, 24.5% zinc, 5.5% nickel) |
| Weight | 9.5 g |
| Diameter | 22.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Dragon pound worth anything?
Usually just face value. With 109,496,500 struck for circulation, it is one of the most common round pound dates. Only unworn examples from Royal Mint sets attract any collector interest and even those are not rarities.
What portrait is on the 2000 £1 coin?
The 2000 Dragon carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen wearing a tiara, introduced on UK coins in 1998. The earlier 1995 Dragon has Raphael Maklouf's portrait, so the effigy helps tell the two dates apart.
Mintage figures: One pound (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.