The British one pound (£1) coin is a circulating denomination of the Pound Sterling. The coin was introduced in 1983 to replace the Bank of England one pound note which ceased to be issued at the end of 1984. The original coin was round and was made of nickel-brass. A large number of reverse designs were issued in this format until it was discontinued in 2016, and its legal tender status withdrawn at midnight on Sunday 15th October 2017.
The 12-sided bimetallic £1 coin was introduced into circulation in the United Kingdom in 2017, with a "Nations of the Crown" design. This design featuring two bees replaced it in 2023. It is part of the nature-inspired recoinage introduced to mark the reign of King Charles III, reflecting his interest in conservation and nature. With more than 250 species of bee in the United Kingdom, including bumblebees, mason bees and mining bees, these industrious insects play a pivotal role in pollinating many plants and fruiting trees. They can be found all over the country, commonly in gardens, parks, woods, orchards and meadows - and now on the reverse of the definitive UK £1 coin.
The chief Royal Mint engraver, Gordon Summers, oversaw the designs, alongside an advisory committee at the Royal Mint, with the involvement of the monarch himself. The Royal Mint does not credit a specific person with the reverse design, but cites it as the work of the whole team.
The coin has a 12-edged shape, similar to the pre-decimal brass threepence coin; it has roughly the same size as the previous £1 coin. Its appearance is bi-metallic like most £2 coins. The outer ring is gold coloured (nickel-brass) and the inner circle is silver coloured (nickel-plated nickel-brass).
A security feature is a "latent image" under the King's portrait - something like a hologram that changes from a "£" symbol to the number "1" when the coin is seen from different angles. Another security feature is micro-lettering - very small lettering on the lower inside rim on both sides of the coin, "ONE POUND" on the obverse (“heads”) side and the year of production on the reverse side, for example 2023. | 
