![The new 1-pound coin is expected to be released by 2017. The new 1-pound coin is expected to be released by 2017.](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/03/18/royal-mint-bd9a7213a590407bf0867f08fdd79ccd8704856f-s300.jpg)
The new 1-pound coin is expected to be released by 2017.
The Royal Mint in the U.K. has unveiled a new 1-pound coin that it says will be the world's most counterfeit-proof coin.
The 12-sided coin, which is set to be released by 2017, will still feature a likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on one side. But the "tails side" will have a new design representing the four symbols of the U.K.: an English rose, a leek for Wales, a Scottish thistle and shamrock for Northern Ireland. They emerge from a single stem within a crown.
The new design was created by a 15-year-old schoolboy, David Pierce, who beat out more than 6,000 competitors. Other U.K.-themed entries included cups of tea, maps and a Rolling Stones logo.
The Independent says the new design is a break in tradition from the round, brass-colored coin that has been used for more than 30 years.
Besides a new look, the Royal Mint says the pound coin has a number of features to make it the most secure coin in the world. That includes the 12 sides, bi-metallic construction of two colors, and anti-counterfeiting technology that can be authenticated by high-speed, automated detection.
The Royal Mint estimates that about 3 percent of the 1-pound coins in circulation are counterfeit, a number that can rise as high as 6 percent in some parts of the U.K.
The Independent says the decision to replace the 1-pound coin came after police broke up an international smuggling ring that had flooded Britain with at least 30 million pounds (roughly $45 million) worth of fake coins.
![](http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Britain+Unveils+A+New+1-Pound+Coin&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad