Walsall teenager wins competition to design new £1 coin

A WALSALL teenager’s design is set to line millions of pockets and purses across the UK within the next two years after they won a public competition to design the ‘tails’ side of the new £1 coin.

David Pearce, aged 15, a pupil at Queen Mary’s Grammar School was praised by Chancellor George Osborne during his Budget speech to the Commons.

The teenager beat off fierce competition from more than 6,000 entries in a public competition organised by the Royal Mint on behalf of the Treasury.

David took a surprise telephone call from the Chancellor earlier this week who delivered the good news. On Tuesday he was whisked off to a special ceremony in Downing Street to commemorate his success.

Competition entrants were asked to create a design which symbolises Britain and entries included cups of tea, flags, maps, the weather, famous writers, seaside piers, and even the Rolling Stones’ famous lips motif.

David’s design takes in four well known symbols of the UK with a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock emerging from a Royal Coronet. It will now be taken forward to be struck onto the new £1 coin being introduced in 2017.

The £1 coin is being replaced for the first time in over 30 years because of its vulnerability to sophisticated counterfeiters.

The new coin, which was announced by the Chancellor at last year’s Budget, will have the same shape as the old 12-sided ‘threepenny bit’ and will be the most secure coin in circulation in the world with features including a dual-colour bi-metallic construction and the inclusion of the Royal Mint’s new anti-counterfeiting technology, which can be authenticated by high-speed automated detection.

Mr Osborne said: “Designing the new £1 coin was a brilliant opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on what will be the most secure coin in circulation anywhere.

“The competition captured the imagination of thousands of people and David Pearce’s winning design will be recognised by millions in the years ahead. It was fantastic to congratulate him and other young entrants in person in Downing Street.”

Coin designer David said: “I was really excited to hear that I had won the competition to design the new £1 coin but hugely shocked as well. I heard about the competition through my design teacher at school and I thought I had nothing to lose so I decided to enter. I spent a lot of time researching what coin designs looked like and what sort of designs would represent all parts of the UK before submitting my idea and I honestly cannot believe I have won.”