One Pound 1996 Celtic Cross, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

By 1980 it had become apparent that with the general decline in purchasing power, the £1 unit of currency was more appropriate to a coin than a banknote. After consultation with many groups including retailers and special interest groups, the Government announced on 31 July 1981 that a new £1 coin that was to be issued on 21 April 1983. Since its launch the £1 has always represented the United Kingdom and its constituent parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The £1 coin in base metal (as opposed to the gold sovereign, which has a nominal face value of one pound too), nickel-brass was introduced in 1983, as a replacement for the £1 banknote. The reverse design of the first £1 coin showed a depiction of the Royal Coat of Arms, representing the United Kingdom as a whole. It was issued until 2015 in rotation with other designs representing Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, alternating each year in that order.

Initially, Northern Ireland was represented by the Flax and Diadem type of one pound coins.

Third in a four-year series which featured the constituent parts of the United Kingdom, the 1996 one pound coin represented Northern Ireland. Reaching deep into the history of Northern Ireland, Norman Sillman's reverse design depicted a richly decorated Celtic-style cross, surmounted by the famous Broighter collar. At the centre of the design lay a pimpernel, the lovely flower which flourishes around Lough Neagh. This design was issued only twice, in 1996 and 2001. Northern Ireland was later represented by the 2006 Egyptian Arch Bridge One Pound Coin, the 2010 Belfast One Pound and the 2014 One Pound with the floral emblem of Northern Ireland.

Coins issued in 1996 circulated for 21 years until they were demonetised in 2017 and replaced with the current bimetallic one pound coin.