The first Royal Arms of England were attributed to King Richard I whose great seal depicted three gold lions on a red background. These arms were used by succeeding monarchs until about 1340.

When Edward III laid claim to the French throne he quartered the arms of France with the English arms.
The number of fleurs-de-lys in the French quarters was reduced to three by Henry IV

Wales has not been represented in the Royal Arms as it is a Principality, and has never been a separate kingdom ruled by an English King.

When James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne, the Tudor dragon supporter was replaced by one of the unicorns from the Scottish Royal Arms. The shield was also amended, as the French and English quartered arms were repositioned to the first and fourth quarters, to allow for the inclusion of the red Scottish Lion and the harp of Ireland.

With the introduction of the harp the elements of the present Royal Coat of Arms were united.
The arms of France were omitted in 1801. With the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 the arms of Hanover were removed from the coat, leaving the Royal Arms as borne today by Queen Elizabeth II.

The edge is not only milled but also inscribed. The inscription in Latin reads:

DECUS ET TUTAMEN

Which may be translated as "an ornament and a safeguard". This inscription dates back to the first machine-struck coins minted in 1662 and was a device to prevent "clipping", and was used on the first pound coin in 1983.

On 28 March 2017, the circulated round pound was replaced by the 12 sided £1 coin. On the 15 October the round £1 coin will cease to be legal tender.

Obverse

The obverse bears the new third portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael David Maklouf which was introduced in 1985.

Reverse

The reverse of the quartered Royal Shield of Arms, surmounted by the Imperial Crown was designed by Derek Gorringe, deputy chief engraver at the Royal Mint.

Specification

Version	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Metal	Alloy	Actual Metal Weight (troy ounces)	Issue Limit
Ordinary Circulation	22.50	9.50	Nickel-brass			7,118,825
Uncirculated in Folder	22.50	9.50	Nickel-brass			29,550
Silver Proof	22.50	9.50	Silver	0.925 Silver	0.2825	50,000
Piedfort Silver Proof	22.50	19	Silver	0.925 Silver	0.5650	10,000

2024 Christmas Opening Hours and Despatch Dates

General

Tuesday 24th December 2024 - Phone lines 9:30 - 14:00 (Last showroom appointment 12:00pm - Collections Only).
Wednesday 25th December 2024 - Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Closed (Urgent enquiries will still be answered during this time).
Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas – Thursday 19th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December.

Internationals

Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th.

New Year

First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.

Orders under £60

Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.

Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

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