New 12-sided £1 coin legal tender from 28 March

THE world’s “most secure coin”, the new 12-sided £1 coin, will be legal tender from 28 March, according to the UK government. The Royal Mint said its “innovative security features”, including one that is being kept secret, will make it harder to counterfeit.

One pound coins currently in circulation will continue to be legal tender until 15 October.

There will also be a £2 Jane Austen coin and a 50p commemorating the discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton.

Features the Royal Mint hope will make the new ‘dodecagon’ £1 difficult to copy include micro-letters, milled edges and an image that changes when the coin is seen from different angles.

The Royal Mint’s designers believe these will make the new currency “the most secure in the world.”