Coins of England and Great Britain

The standard circulating coinage of the United Kingdom is denominated in pounds sterling (symbol "£"), and, since the introduction of the two-pound coin in 1998, ranges in value from one penny to two pounds. Since "Decimalisation", on 15 February 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 (new) pence. From the 16th century until Decimalisation, the pound was divided into 20 shillings, each of 12 (old) pence. British coins are minted by the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales. In the years just prior to Decimalisation, the circulating British coins were the Half Crown (2/6), Two Shillings or Florin (2/-), Shilling (1/-), Sixpence (6d), Threepence (3d), Penny (1d) and Halfpenny (½d). The Farthing (¼d) had been withdrawn in 1960. There was also the Crown (5/-), which was (and still is) legal tender but only minted on special occasions and not normally circulated. All modern coins feature a Profile of the Current Monarch's Head in the Obverse. The direction in which they face changes with each successive monarch, a pattern that began with the Stuarts. All the circulating coins have an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right on the Obverse, and various national and regional designs, and the denomination, on the Reverse. All current coins carry a Latin inscription whose full form is ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSOR. Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II:    1° 1971-1984     by Arnold Machin    2° 1985-1997     by Raphael Maklouf    3° 1998 to date  by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS The circulating coins, excepting the Two-Pound coin, were redesigned in 2008, keeping the sizes and compositions unchanged, but introducing Reverse designs that each depict a part of the Royal Shield of Arms and form the whole Shield when they are placed together in the appropriate arrangement. The exception, the 2008 One-Pound coin, depicts the entire Shield of Arms on the Reverse.

Reverse Monete Nuovo Conio 2008

Reverse Monete Nuovo Conio 2008

Obverse & Reverse Monete non Nuovo Conio

Obverse & Reverse Monete non Nuovo Conio

Solo Reverse Monete non Nuovo Conio

Decimal One Penny
Bronze, issued from 1971 to 1981	Bronze, issued from 1982 to 1984

Bronze, issued from 1985 to 1992	Copper plated steel, issued from 1992 to 1997	Copper plated steel, issued from 1998 to 2008

Copper plated steel, issued from 2008

Decimal Two Pence
Bronze, issued from 1971 to 1981	Bronze, issued from 1982 to 1984
Bronze, issued from 1985 to 1992	Copper plated steel, issued from 1998 to 2008

Copper plated steel, first issued in 2008

Decimal Five Pence
Cupronickel, Large, Issued from 1968 to 1981	Cupronickel, Large, Issued from 1982 to 1984
Cupronickel, Large, Issued from 1985 to 1990	Cupronickel, Small, Issued from 1990 to 1997
Small, Issued Cupronickel from 2008 to 2010 - Plated steel from 2011

Decimal Ten Pence
Cupronickel, Large, Issued from 1968 to 1981	Cupronickel, Small, Issued from 1992 to 1997
Small, Issued Cupronickel from 2008 to 2010 - Plated steel from 2011

Decimal Twenty Pence
Cupronickel, Issued from 1982 to 1984	Cupronickel, Issued from 1985 to 1997
Cupronickel, Issued from 1998 to 2008	Cupronickel, Issued from 2008

Decimal Fifty Pence
Large, Issued from 1969 to 1972, and 1974 to 1981	EEC - Large, Issued in 1973 only
EEC - Large, Issued in 1992 and 1993	D Day - Large, Issued in 1992
Small, Issued only in 1997,	Small, Issued from 1998 to 2008
EEC - Small, Issued in 1998	NHS - Small, Issued in 1998
Small, Issued from 2008

Decimal One Pound
Issued in 1983 (UK design)	Issued in 1984 (Scottish design)	Issued in 1985 and 1990 (Welsh design)	Issued in 1986 and 1991 (Northern Ireland design)
Issued in 1987 and 1992 (English design)	Issued in 1988 (UK design)	Issued in 1989 (Scottish design)	Issued in 1993 (UK design)
Issued in 1994 (Scottish design)	Issued in 1995 (Welsh design)	Issued in 1996 (Northern Ireland design)	Issued in 1997 (English design)
Issued in 1998, 2003 and 2008 (UK design)	Issued in 1999 (Scottish design)	Issued in 2000 (Welsh design)	Issued in 2001 (Northern Ireland design)
Issued in 2002 (English design)	Issued in 2004 (Scottish design)	Issued in 2005 (Welsh design)	Issued in 2006 (Irish design)
	Issued in 2007 (English design)	Issued from 2008
In circulation		In circulation
In circulation	In circulation	To be issued in 2013	To be issued in 2013

Decimal Two Pound
The British two pound (£2) coin was first issued as a commemorative coin in 1986 to celebrate the Commonwealth Games in Scotland. Six further commemorative issues followed between 1989 and 1996. These coins did not circulate in large numbers. After a review of the United Kingdom coinage, it was decided that a general-circulation £2 coin was needed, and a new bi-metallic design was issued on 15 June 1998 (dated 1997).
Celebrating the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh	English version	Scottish version	Celebrating the Tercentenary of Bank of England
50th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War	50th Anniversary of the United Nations	Tenth European Championship
Bi-metallic coin (1997 to present) This was the first bi-metallic coin to be produced for circulation in Britain since the tin farthing with a copper plug produced in 1692, and is the highest denomination coin in common circulation in the UK. The coin consists of an outer yellow metal nickel-brass ring made from 76% copper, 20% zinc, and 4% nickel, and an inner steel-coloured cupro-nickel disc made from 75% copper, 25% nickel. The coin weighs 12 grams and is 28.4 millimetres in diameter.
Issued in 1997	Issued in June 1998	Issued in 1999	Issued in 2001
Issued in 2002	Issued in 2003	Issued in 2004	Issued in 2005
Issued in 2005		Issued in 2006	Issued in 2006
Issued in 2007		Issued in 2007
Issued in 2008		Issued in 2009
Issued in 2009		Issued in 2010
Issued in 2011		Issued in 2011
Issued in 2012		Issued in 2012
Issued in 2013	Issued in 2013	Issued in 2013