Royal Mint launches new commemorative 12-sided £1 coins worth up to £1,995

Ahead of the new 12-sided £1 coin launching into circulation, the Royal Mint launches a commemorative set of coins that cost a lot more than a quid.
New commemorative editions of the new £1 are now available to purchase from the Royal Mint.
The coins can be purchsed from £10 for the uncirculated coin to a massive £1,995 for the gold proof two-coin set.
The commemorative set is being released ahead of the official 12-sided coin going into circulation on March 28.
We've included a photo and brief description of each collector's coin further down this article, but first here's a bit of background information.
Design of the new £1 coin
The Royal Mint invited the public to submit designs for the "tails" side of new coin back in 2015. It finally selected an entry from David Pearce, who was just 15 at the time.
David’s design features a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock emerging from a Royal Coronet.
Other submissions included regional landmarks and cultural interpretations of the UK, such as fish and chips and cups of tea.
"The winning idea combined traditional elements but also symbolised a modern United Kingdom in an elegant and a succinct way,” Dr Kevin Clancy, director of The Royal Mint Museum, who helped choose the design, said.
"It was a young person's interpretation of an idea while still being steeped in history and tradition," he added.
New £1 coin security features
New 12-sided £1 coins will be much harder to counterfeit.
“Some of the visible security features, such as the micro-lettering and a latent feature, can only be achieved through computer-aided design technology, which wasn’t available when the pound coin was introduced in 1983,” said Gordon Summers, the chief engraver.
The Royal Mint says the addition of its patented High Security Feature has added to its reputation as the most secure coin in the world.
As it stands, the current ‘round pound’ is vulnerable to scams, with one in 30 reportedly being fake.
In pictures: commemorative £1 coins
Here's a look at the new collector's coins available from the Royal Mint.
The sale price is included in the headline of each.
Nations of the Crown 2017 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin – £10
The Nations of the Crown is finished to ‘Brilliant Uncirculated’ standard.
The sale price for the coin is £10 at the Royal Mint – we’ve seen opportunists listing the coins on auction sites for £13 or more, so make sure you don’t overpay!
Farewell & Nations of the Crown 2016 Brilliant Uncirculated 2 Coin Set – £55
Available for pre-order, this two-coin set features a Brilliant Uncirculated new £1 coin, one of the only 2016-dated £1 coins to be released as a commemorative edition.
You'll also get a 2016-dated 'last round pound', which was designed by Gregory Cameron.
Only 10,000 sets will be made available by the Royal Mint.
Nations of the Crown 2017 Coin Silver Proof – £75
This version of the coin is struck in sterling silver and enhanced with fine gold.
Nations of the Crown 2017 Silver Piedfort Proof Coin – £130
The Piedfort coin is double the thickness and is struck in sterling silver, enhanced with fine gold and finished to Proof standard.
[Read more: How to tell if your £1 coin is worth more money than its face value]
Nations of the Crown 2017 Coin Gold Proof – £950
Struck in yellow gold and enhanced with red gold, the gold Proof is one of the most valuable in the collection.
It comes with a limited-edition presentation case.
Nations of the Crown 2017 Coin Platinum Proof – £1,325 (SOLD OUT)
It’s the first time that the platinum £1 coin has been made available to buy as an individual issue, which goes some way to explaining the hefty price tag.
It's struck in platinum and enhanced with fine gold, finished to Proof standard. Sadly for anyone interested in buying it, the coin has already sold out on the Royal Mint site.
No doubt we'll soon see some of the coins selling on auction sites – for an increased price, of course.
Farewell & Nations of the Crown Gold Proof 2 Coin Set – £1,995 (SOLD OUT)
The new 2017-dated coin is presented in a two-coin set with the 2016-dated last ‘round pound’.
It’s the most exclusive set of the lot, with only 100 being made available. The hefty price tag of £1,995 hasn't put off collectors, who have already snapped up every single set.
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