The Cardiff £1 is one of the rarest £1 coins and sells for around £6 on eBay.
Despite not being legal tender anymore, this coin is still very rare and could pop up in your change. Let’s see what makes this coin sought after by collectors.
Is The Cardiff Coin Rare?
Now that the old style of the One-Pound coins has officially ceased to be legal tender, many collectors are willing to pay good money to make sure they have the complete set. If you have found the “round pound” in your change that has been stashed away, it could be a rare one.
In fact, the 2011 Cardiff coin is the second-rarest City Series One-Pound coin to have been released, just behind the Edinburgh coin. It is technically the second rarest £1 coin to have been released.
The coin was released in 2011 as the second part of the new “City Series” created by the Royal Mint. The series highlighted the capital city of each of the four Home Nations that make up the United Kingdom with the Cardiff coin representing the capital city of Wales.
The Cardiff £1 coin has a 1,615,000 mintage.
The mintage is comparatively extremely low compared to the majority of the other old One-Pound coins released.
Design Of The 2011 Cardiff £1 Coin
The reverse design was created by Stuart Devlin. For the series, he depicted the official badges of the capital cities. For this coin, he puts the spotlight on Cardiff which is Europe’s smallest capital city.
The flag of Cardiff, which can be seen on the design, features the symbolic fiery red dragon that has been the proud emblem of Wales for more than a thousand years. The dragon’s origin is thought to go as far back as the Romans, but it was officially made an emblem of Wales around 655 AD when it became known as the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr.
The coin features the badge of Cardiff with a rampant dragon on a mount holding a flag with three chevrons. The dragon is positioned in front of a large leek plant.
The name of the city CARDIFF is centred and arched at the top. The denomination ONE POUND is in all capital letters to the left and right of the image.
The three flags from the other capital cities within the UK. The flags are displayed below the Cardiff featured image in the order of Belfast, Edinburgh, and London.
The edge inscription of the coin is the motto of the City’s arms and reads Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN, which translates to mean, “the red dragon shall lead”.
The 2011 Cardiff coins were part of the round £1 coins. The British One-Pound coin is a denomination of the pound sterling.
The original One-Pound coin replaced the Bank of England one-pound note that was no longer issued after 1984 but was not removed from circulation until March 11, 1988. The coin is made of Nickel-brass. The 2011 coins circulated for six years until they were demonetized in 2017 and replaced with the current bimetallic coin.
After 2017, the older One-Pound coins could only be redeemed at banks. For a limited time, some retailers would also accept them. Although, they remained in use in the Isle of Man.
The 2011 Cardiff £1 coin is 22.50 millimetres in diameter and weighs 9.50 grams in Nickel-brass alloy with a thickness of 3.15 mm. The metal is copper, zinc, and metal. The One-Pound Round series of coins were the only UK coin to have this specific yellow colour.
Obverse Side Design
The obverse of the 2011 Cardiff 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. 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.
What Does The Coin Represent?
The design of the Cardiff coin represents the capital city of Wales. Initially, Wales was represented by the Leek and Diadem type of one-pound coins, then by the Dragon One Pound coin as well as the 2005 Menai Bridge One Pound. Wales was also represented by the 2013 One Pound with the floral emblem of Wales.
Where Can You Buy The 2011 Cardiff Coin?
Online spots like eBay are a quick and easy way to find coins. Just make sure you do your homework and buy from a reputable seller, so you are sure of exactly what you are buying.
As always, the exact price is going to depend upon what condition the coin is in as well as the year it was minted. Expect to pay about £6 on average for the 2011 Cardiff Coin. If you find an uncirculated version, they could be as much as £10.