Any collector will be happy to add a 1994 Lion Rampant £1 coin to their collection. It is considered the tenth rarest £1 round Coin and represents Scotland.
Look for the 1994 Lion Rampant coin on eBay for a quick and easy place to find coins. Just make sure you do your homework, so you are sure of exactly what you are buying or selling.
Here is what makes the coin so unique.
How Much Is The 1994 Lion Rampant £1 Coin Worth?
As with any coin, the Lion Rampant £1 Coin’s worth is somewhat determined by how many coins were minted as well as the actual condition of the coin. Expect to find the coins selling for an estimated value of £2.08 in circulated condition.
You can browse the Royal Mint’s online store if you’re interested in buying uncirculated coins.
1994 and 1999 Minting
The Lion Rampant coin was put into circulation in 1994 with a mintage of 29,752,525. It was the first of a four-part series of £1 coins that represent Scotland with a heraldic emblem design on the reverse side. The series was repeated starting in 1999, but the Lion Rampant coin was not put into circulation that year.
The minting of the 1994 lion rampant £1 also included some in an uncirculated Nickel-brass version with a presentation folder, a Silver Proof of 0.925 silver with a 25,000 issue limit, and a Piedfort Silver Proof version with an AMW Actual Metal Weight (troy ounces) of 0.5650 and a limited issue of 11,722.
In 1999, the Lion Rampant £1 coin would once again kick off the 4-part series featuring heraldic emblems on the reverse. However, this time, the Lion Rampant 1999 coin would not be put into circulation. Instead, the special mintage was limited to a total of 216,840 making it scarce. The 1999 version was struck for Royal Mint sets or sold in presentation folders. There were only 136,696 brilliant uncirculated coins available in sets as well as 80,144 proofs and an unknown amount issued in presentation folders.
The design was reissued in 2008 as a collector coin in silver and gold as part of a 14-coin commemorative set marking the 25th anniversary of the £1 coin.
Design Of The Lion Rampant £1 Coin
The Lion Rampant £1 coin would be the first in a four-part series to feature Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England with heraldic emblems on the reverse side of the coin. The Lion Rampant was chosen to represent Scotland with a left-facing image encircled with a double ring decorated with fleurs-de-lis. This double border design is known as the royal tressure.
Centred at the bottom under the image are the words ONE POUND. Around the outer rim are a series of raised beaded dots.
The coin is part of the £1 round coins that were issued each year with a special reverse design to represent an emblem of the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or England. The reverse was changed each year from1983 to 2008 to reflect a design that represented the United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England.
The Lion Rampant £1 coin design was part of a 4-part series representing the four constituent countries of the UK using heraldic emblems. This series would start in 1994 with the Lion Rampant representing Scotland; a 1995 Dragon representing Wales; a 1996 Celtic Cross and Torc representing Northern Ireland; and a 1997 Three Lions representing England.
This 4-part series of heraldic emblems on the reverse side of the round pound would repeat starting again in 1999 through 2002. However, the Lion Rampant was only put into circulation with the original 1994 issue.
The Lion Rampant coin was part of the round £1 coins. The British £1 coin is a denomination of the pound sterling. The original £1 coin replaced the Bank of England £1 note that was no longer issued after 1984 but was not removed from circulation until March 11, 1988. The coin is made in Nickel-brass.
After 2017, the older £1 coins were no longer considered legal tender and could only be redeemed at banks. For a limited time, some retailers would also accept them.
The edge of the coin is milled with an inscription and a small crosslet as a mint mark that represents Llantrisant in South Wales where the Royal Mint has been based since 1968. The milled edge with the inscription was used in an attempt to protect the coins from debasement from clippers who would shave off pieces of gold coins for melting and counterfeiting.
The edge of the £1 Lion Rampant coin is a milled edge that includes the inscription to read MEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT. Translated, this means “Nobody provokes me with impunity.” This is the motto of the Order of the Thistle.
The 1994 and 1999 versions of the coin represent Scotland featuring a Lion Rampant on the reverse side.
Scotland was first represented on the £1 round coin in 1984 and 1989 with the same Thistle floral emblem design. This time Scotland would be represented with a different design on the 1994 and 1999 Lion Rampant coin. In 2004 Scotland would again be represented on the Forth Railway Bridge coin as part of a series of £1 coins featuring bridges and pathways. Scotland would be represented on the £1 coin again in 2011 with the Coat of arms of Edinburgh. In 2014, the original thistle emblem would make its appearance for one final time again in a slightly different form as a Thistle and Bluebell £1 coin. Scotland has not been represented on the coin since the £1 coin changed to be a 12-sided, bi-metallic coin in 2017.
The Lion Rampant £1 coin is 22.50 millimetres in diameter and weighs 9.50 grams in a Nickel-brass alloy with a thickness of 3.15 mm. The £1 Round series of coins were the only UK coin to have this specific yellow colour.
1994 Obverse
The obverse of the 1994 Lion Rampant coin features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II as designed by Raphael Maklouf in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem. The crown was made in 1820 for King George IV. The inscription surrounding her portrait was ELIZABETH II D.G. REG.F.D. followed by the 1994 minting year. Translated, the inscription means Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith. The designer’s initials RDM can be found at the very bottom left-hand corner of the Queen’s portrait, in the neck truncation.
1999 Obverse
The obverse of the uncirculated 1999 Lion Rampant coin is the design of Ian Rank-Broadley. This new designer was more of a realist than the previous designer and not afraid to show the queen looking a bit more mature. He also made the image as large as he could. He depicted Her Majesty wearing the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” diamond tiara. The tiara was a wedding gift from Queen Mary, her grandmother, in 1947. The inscription surrounding her portrait was ELIZABETH II D.G. REG.F.D. followed by the minting year 1999. Translated, the inscription means Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith. The designer’s initials IRB are seen directly under the neckline of the image.
The design on both the 1994 and the 1999 coins represents Scotland as one of the four constituents of the United Kingdom.
What Does The Coin Represent?
Scotland is one of the four parts of the United Kingdom. To present Scotland with a heraldic emblem, or national symbol, designer Norman Sillman chose an image of the Lion Rampant. The lion, King of beasts, in a rampant stance. The term rampant means it is standing on one hind foot, forefeet in the air. The lion is upright with forelegs raised and claws unsheathed. The Lion Rampant was first used to represent the Scottish kingdom by King Alexander II in the 13th century, 1222.
The image celebrates Scotland’s heraldic emblem from the Royal Arms. The image appeared on the shield of the royal coat of arms of the ancient Kingdom of Scotland. It was used by the King of Scots until 1603. The Lion Rampant is the Royal Standard of the King or Queen of Scots. It is the personal banner of the monarchs. On the flag, the lion is red against a yellow background. The image of the Lion Rampant is still seen today in the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom.
Lion Rampant Coin Designer
Norman Sillman designed the Lion Rampant coin that would represent Scotland as one of the parts of the United Kingdom.
Sillman was a British sculptor and a coin designer. He was a sculptor in London until 1956, spending a lot of time drawing images of animals from the London Zoo that he would later sculpt.
The Royal Mint commissioned him to design a coin in 1956 for Bermuda. He also designed for the Birmingham Mint, York Mint, Metalimport, Sandhill Ltd, Danbury Mint USA, Franklin mint USA, and others. He ultimately designed coins for at least 30 countries. He also designed several medals for Britain.
For Britain, he designed the Scottish Commonwealth Games Two-Pound Coin, and a four-part series for the £1 round coin.
