Add the rarest £1 coin to your collection with this 2011 Edinburgh £1 coin, worth £8 in circulated condition and up to £10 in uncirculated according to eBay.
Let’s see what makes the coin so rare and valuable below.
Is The Edinburgh £1 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 Edinburgh coin is by far the rarest of any pound 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 Edinburgh coin representing the capital city of Scotland.
The 2011 Edinburgh coin has a 935,000 mintage released into circulation. Additionally, 47,896 were issued as brilliant uncirculated coins on a presentation card. Some were in brilliant uncirculated sets, and 28,974 proofs.
Other varieties include:
Brilliant Uncirculated on a presentation card with 47,896 issued also in mint sets with an unknown issue. The sets were:
- 2011 United Kingdom Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Collection with an unknown mintage limited to 50,000. It included 13 coins.
- UK Cities – Celebrating Edinburgh and Cardiff £1 Coins 2011 with an unknown mintage limited to 10,000. It included 2 coins.
Additionally, a Proof FDC was issued with a total of 28,974 a few sets as follows:
- 2011 The United Kingdom Proof Coin Set with 14 coins
- 2011 The United Kingdom Proof Coin Set (Deluxe) with a mintage unknown
- 2011 The United Kingdom Executive Proof Set with a mintage unknown
The Edinburgh coin was also minted as Silver Proof FDC with 4,973 issued in 0.925 Sterling Silver ASW 0.2825 oz. With a limit of 5,000. The silver coin was also in two sets:
- 2011 The United Kingdom Silver Proof Coin Set with an unknown mintage limited to 2,500. The set included 14 coins.
- 2011 The United Kingdom Silver Celebration Set with an unknown mintage and a limit of 1,500. The set included 6 coins.
Also, a Silver Proof Piedfort variety was issued with a total of 2,696 as 19g of 0.925 Silver 0.5650 oz. ASW 22.5mm. This was also minted in 2011 The United Kingdom Silver Piedfort set with an unknown mintage limited to 2,000. It included 6 coins.
A Gold Proof FDC 0.917 gold with 19.61g of 22-carat gold 0.5779 AGW, 22.50mm was also minted with 499 issued and a limit of 1,000.
Design Of The 2011 Edinburgh £1 Coin
The reverse design of the coin was created by Stuart Devlin. It features the badge of Edinburgh which pictures the beautiful Edinburgh castle as it sits on Castle Rock and towers 80m above the city as a triple-towered fortress on a rock.
The castle was built in 1103 and has been both a royal residence and a military base for more than 900 years. It is the most besieged point in Britain. As undoubtedly one of the most iconic landmarks of Edinburgh which can be seen in all directions from miles around, Edinburgh Castle was the perfect choice to represent Scotland’s capital city.
Below the image of Edinburgh are the three other coin designs representing the other capital cities of the UK. The leftmost image is for London. The middle image is for Cardiff, and the right image is for Belfast. Including the designs of the other coins in the collection is a testament to the respect between the countries and a reminder of the strength of the United Kingdom as a whole.
Arcing around the castle image are the words ONE POUND, to the left and right of the picture, and EDINBURGH in all caps is centred and arcing above. Double lines encircle the castle image, and two large swooshes are curving upward underneath the flags starting at the bottom.
The edge inscription of the coin reads NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA which is the motto of the City’s coat of arms and translates to mean, “it is vain without the Lord”.
The 2011 Edinburgh 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 in Nickel-brass.
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.
What Does The Coin Represent?
The design represents Scotland as one of the capital cities of the UK. This is the last of a new series called the City Series that started with the London coin in 2010. The four coins in the series include:
- 2010 London representing England
- 2010 Belfast representing Northern Ireland
- 2011 Cardiff representing Wales
- 2011 Edinburgh representing Scotland
The City of Edinburgh was properly granted its Coat of Arms on April 21, 1732, by the heraldic authority for Scotland, Lyon King of Arms. The shield is represented and officially described as:
“Argent a castle triple-towered and embattled sable masoned of the first topped with three fans gules windows and portcullis shut of the last situate on a rock proper. The ‘castle triple-towered’ evidently represented Edinburgh’s magnificent castle which sits on the summit of the volcanic rock towering some 80m above its city. A stronghold and seat of royalty since the Middle Ages, it is visible for tens of miles in every direction.”
Where Can You Buy The 2011 Edinburgh Coin?
Online is a quick and easy way to find coins. Just make sure you do your homework, so you are sure of exactly what you are buying. T
The exact price is going to depend upon what condition the coin is in. Expect to pay about £8 on average for the 2011 Edinburgh Coin, with uncirculated versions reaching over £10.
