Chancellor George Osborne will unveil a new 12-sided pound coin featuring the four symbols of the UK – a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock – emerging from a royal coronet, ahead of his budget on Wednesday.
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The design on the tails side of the new coin is the work of West Midlands teenager David Pearce, who won a competition to to create the image.
The new coin, which will be introduced in 2017, is the same shape as the old threepenny bit, which was withdrawn in 1971.
The chancellor announced plans at his budget a year ago to replace the current £1 coin because it has become increasingly vulnerable to counterfeiting. Around one in thirty £1 coins are forgeries.
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