Counterfeit - 1 Pound - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait; Celtic Cross

The 1996–97 reverse design was introduced as part of the Royal Mint's rotation of national emblems for the pound coin series, but it coincided with a period when circulating counterfeits of the one-pound coin had already reached alarming levels — the Bank of England estimated that by the late 1990s roughly 1 in 50 pound coins in circulation was fake. Nickel-brass was particularly easy for counterfeiters to source and cold-press. This specific type was among the most heavily duplicated in the series, a problem that ultimately drove the complete redesign and bimetallic replacement issued in 2017.