One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern), Coin from United Kingdom

Coin	One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern)

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. A variety of designs were issued into circulation between 1983 and 2016; they were all demonetised in 2017 and replaced by the current 12-sided bimetallic one pound coin.

Various reverse designs represented first the United Kingdom as a whole, then in rotation Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, alternating each year in that order. The third series in this rotation was designed by Edwina Ellis and featured famous bridges in each of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom as a tribute to British architecture and engineering achievement. The first coin in the series showed the Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland and was released in 2004; it was then followed by the Menai Bridge £1 2005 representing Wales, the Egyptian Arch Bridge £1 2006 representing Northern Ireland, and finally the Millennium Bridge £1 2006 representing England - showing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in North East England.

Normally, the Royal Mint does not make its pattern coins available to the public. However, there have been a couple of cases when patterns were released. In this case, patterns in precious metals for the coins of the series were issued to collectors - all of them dated 2003 and having the word PATTERN instead of the value and denomination ONE POUND on the reverse. By long-standing tradition, they are also further distinguished from regular coins by having a plain edge; in this instance, they also have a hallmark on the edge, which was a first.

Coins of this type are not and never have been legal tender.

Mint	Royal Mint	Mint Mark	No mint mark	Total Mintage	unknown
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Obverse

The obverse shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.

In tiny letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).

Around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith 2003.

Obverse Inscription	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003

Reverse

A representation of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge with a border of struts. Around below, the inscription PATTERN.

The designer's initials EE (for Edwina Ellis) are incuse at the base of the bridge.

Reverse Inscription	PATTERN

Edge	Plain	Edge Inscription	Hallmark of the metal content

Notes

There are no "regular", base metal coins of the type. The existing coins are one of the types listed as varieties below: silver or gold. The coins were released in a set of four containing:

1. Forth Railway Bridge Pattern £1 2003
2. Menai Bridge Pattern £1 2003
3. Egyptian Arch Bridge Pattern £1 2003
4. Millennium Bridge Pattern £1 2003.

When the coins were initially released, Chards said about them: "We have never had an explanation from the Royal Mint as to why this set was issued as "patterns", and also why they are all dated 2003 when we expected them to be dated 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. We can only conjecture that they are not permitted to produce or release legal tender coins bearing a future date, and there may have been some complex legal reason why permission could not be obtained to release them as legal tender coins. Whatever the reasons, the coins bear the inscription "PATTERN" where they would normally say "ONE POUND". They also have a plain edge rather than a reeded and inscribed edge, and the coins are hallmarked on their edge, the first time this has been done on British coins, although we note this has also been done on the new 2004 pattern issue."

One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern): Known varieties

Variety	Gold Proof FDC
Images
Mintage	Issued: unknown
Material	0.917 Gold
Details	Issued in four-coin set, Spink PPS2, not listed in Krause. 19.61 grams 22-carat gold (AGW 0.5779 oz), 22.50 mm. Issue limited at 3,000 sets.
Variety	Silver Proof FDC
Images
Mintage	Issued: unknown
Material	0.925 Silver
Details	Issued in four-coin set, Spink PPS1, not listed in Krause. 9.50 g sterling silver (0.2825 ASW), 22.50 mm. Issue limited at 7,500 sets.

All (8) coins of type: One Pound (Pattern)

Coin Name	Mintage	Effigy	Legend
One Pound 2003 Forth Railway Bridge (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003
One Pound 2003 Menai Bridge (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003
One Pound 2003 Egyptian Arch Bridge (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003
One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2003
One Pound 2004 Unicorn (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2004
One Pound 2004 Dragon (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2004
One Pound 2004 White Hart (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2004
One Pound 2004 Lion (Pattern)	unknown	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait	ELIZABETH · II · D · G REG · F · D · 2004

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One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern): Details

Country	United Kingdom
Currency	Pound Sterling
Coin Type	One Pound (Pattern)
Issued	2003
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Effigy	Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait, by Ian Rank-Broadley
Face Value	1 (x Pound)
Total Mintage	unknown
Material
Designer	Edwina Ellis
Technology	Milled (machine-made)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal Alignment (Axis 0)

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One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern): Photos

Image	Details
	2003 Bridges £1 Gold Proof Pattern Collection Copyright: Chards Notes: Gold Pattern - box. Source
	2003 Bridges £1 Gold Proof Pattern Collection Copyright: Chards Notes: Gold Pattern. Source
	2003 Bridges £1 Gold Proof Pattern Collection Copyright: Chards Notes: Gold Pattern. Source
	2003 Bridges £1 Silver Proof Pattern Collection Copyright: Chards Notes: Silver Pattern - box. Source
	2003 Bridges £1 Silver Proof Pattern Collection - Millennium Bridge Copyright: Chards Source

One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern): Catalogue Reference IDs

Source	Reference ID
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom	J21A

One Pound 2003 Millennium Bridge (Pattern), Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information