U.K. Claims Its New Pound Is the 'Most Secure' Coin in the World For security purposes, the Royal Mint has revamped its one pound coin.
By Rose Leadem
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The U.K. pound has gotten a makeover. But it's not because the country thought it needed a new look -- the one pound coin got a revamp to combat counterfeits. The Royal Mint claims it's the "most secure" coin in the world due to features such as a non-symmetrical shape and two metals in its makeup.
With the old pound, an estimated one in 30 were found to be fakes, CNBC reports. The new coin is 12-sided, features a hologram and has grooved edges. The coin also has a "hidden high security feature" that's detectable by payment machines and coin counting systems.
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The new pound still has the iconic face of the Queen on one side. The other side will now feature one of four emblematic images of U.K. nations, including the English rose, the Welsh leek, the Scottish thistle and the Irish shamrock.
The redesigned currency has already been rolled out to a number of banks across the country. The old coin will not be considered legal currency after Oct. 15, 2017.
