12-sided royal coin goes for a toss
London: BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker along with his colleague Louise Minchin, was discussing the new 12-sided coin that is supposed to enter in circulation from Tuesday, when he performed a ceremonial “first toss” and he dropped it behind the famous red settee.
Walker, 40, and his co-host Louise Minchin, 48, were given two of the 12-sided coins by the Royal Mint ahead of the release on Tuesday.
But, when the cameras returned to the studio after a package on the coin, Walker was busy rifling around behind the red sofa.
Minchin then said: “We have a first here. I have my pound coin. Dan has actually lost his pound coin. ‘The first pound coin down the back of the sofa already.”
Moments later, Walker popped his head up from behind the sofa and told viewers: “I went for the first toss of the new pound coin, to do the head and tails thing. It disappeared down here somewhere.”
Minchin asked him: “Have you got it yet?” to which he replied: “No”. Then, as Minchin was handing over to the local news, Walker popped up again brandishing his coin.
The new coin is set to replace the old ‘round pound’ and includes a hologram. It has been described as the most secure coin in the world.
The striking design includes the words ‘ELIZABETH II D.G. REG. F.D.’ displayed across the front. This is short for ‘Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor’, meaning, ‘Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith’.
Already, £1.5 billion worth of the new coins have been distributed to secret points around the country. Each coin will have an expected lifespan of 25 years. Britons will have just seven months to use the old, round coins before October.
Dan Walker, along with his colleague Louise Minchin, was discussing the new 12-sided coin when he performed a ceremonial “first toss” and he dropped it behind the famous red settee