2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 Coin (Sets Only)
The 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) 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
- 2015
- 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 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) 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 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) rare?
- It is scarcer than most £1 coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The brilliant uncirculated mintage was 75,000.
- What is the 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) made of?
- Nickel-brass (70% copper, 24.5% zinc, 5.5% nickel). It weighs 9.5 g and measures 22.5 mm.
- Is the 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) 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 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) was made
The arrival of Jody Clark's portrait in 2015 created a small puzzle for the round pound. Clark was the first Royal Mint engraver in more than a century to have his portrait of the monarch chosen for the coinage. His new effigy showed the Queen wearing the diadem she wore for the State Opening of Parliament. For circulation, the Royal Mint paired the new portrait on the pound with a new Royal Arms reverse. Matthew Dent's shield, meanwhile, continued in circulation only with the older Rank-Broadley portrait.
The shield with Jody Clark's portrait does exist, but it was never released into change. It was produced only in brilliant uncirculated form for collectors, with 75,000 recorded. So anyone who finds one loose in an old jar of pounds most likely has a coin that left its pack at some point. It sits in an unusual spot in the history of the round pound, a familiar design paired with a new face, struck for a very short window before the whole coin was replaced. Collectors building a complete set of shield pounds by portrait need it to finish the run.
How to recognize it
The reverse is the familiar Matthew Dent shield of the Royal Arms, with ONE POUND beneath. What matters is the obverse. Jody Clark's portrait shows the Queen wearing the diadem, with his initials JC under the neck and the date 2015 in the legend. The circulating 2015 shield has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait instead, signed IRB with the Queen in a tiara. The edge is DECUS ET TUTAMEN. A 2015 pound with the Jody Clark portrait and the full coat of arms, including supporters and crown, is the circulating Royal Arms coin and not this scarcer collector issue. Read the initials under the neck first.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only) because none were released to banks. The published brilliant uncirculated mintage is 75,000. It was the only collector-only £1 coin design dated 2015.
For comparison, the £1 coins that did reach change in 2015 were the Shield of the Royal Arms (29.6 million) and the Royal Arms (129.6 million).
What to check on your 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 (Sets Only)
- 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.
Because it was made only for collectors, with 75,000 brilliant uncirculated coins, this version is far scarcer than the circulating shield of the same year. It carries a collector premium, especially when still in its original packaging. Keep it there if you have it, since a coin out of its pack can pick up marks that reduce interest. A loose example should show a bright, even finish without the scuffs of a coin that has been through tills. Always confirm the JC initials and diadem, since the IRB version of 2015 is very common.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 pound |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2015 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Brilliant uncirculated mintage | 75,000 |
| 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 | Clark |
Other 2015 £1 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Shield of the Royal Arms £1 Coin | 29,580,000 | Face value |
| 2015 Royal Arms £1 Coin | 129,616,985 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Was the 2015 shield pound with the new portrait ever in circulation?
No. The 2015 shield with Jody Clark's portrait was made only for collectors, in brilliant uncirculated form, with 75,000 recorded. The circulating 2015 shield pound uses Ian Rank-Broadley's older portrait.
How do I know if my 2015 shield pound is the collector version?
Check the obverse. The collector version shows Jody Clark's portrait, with the Queen in a diadem and the initials JC below. The common circulating coin has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait with a tiara and IRB.
Mintage figures: One pound (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.