One Pound 2010 Belfast, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

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 small 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 · 2010. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith 2010.

A depiction of the official badges of the capital cities of the United Kingdom, with those of Edinburgh, London and Cardiff (in that order), smaller, around below. The principal focus, larger and in the centre, is the badge of Belfast. It is a shield divided in two horizontally; the top of the shield has a point-down triangle with a repeating pattern that represents fur; in a square in the top left corner there is a bell; in the lower part of the shield there is a sailing ship.

The name of the city BELFAST is around top. The value and denomination ONE POUND are around left and right, divided by the badge.

Mintage figure (incomplete) comprised of:
6,205,000 coins released into circulation
64,461 brilliant uncirculated coins in presentation folder
? brilliant uncirculated in sets
34,438 proofs
Off-metal strikes not included (see mintages below).

The edge inscription PRO TANTO QUID RETRIBUAMUS means "what shall we give in return for so much" and is the motto of Belfast.

About the design, the Royal Mint says: "Belfast used a coat of arms on its seal as early as 1643, but it was not until 1890 that the arms were granted officially. The shield of the coat of arms of Belfast provided an appropriate reverse for the 2010 £1 coin which represented Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the City Series. Since the city port of Belfast has always been a busy shipbuilding centre, it was not surprising that a sea-going vessel should dominate the shield. The triangular pattern came from the arms of the Chichester family, while the bell was a simple reference to the city's name and appeared on tokens issued by Belfast tradesmen in the seventeenth century."