United Kingdom reveals the world's 'most secure' £1 coin

The United Kingdom is introducing a new 12-sided £1 coin that is supposedly "the most secure coin in circulation in the world." It replaces the current circular (and frankly, less fancy) design as the country beefs up its security measures to prevent counterfeiting. The Royal Mint will begin rolling out the coin in 2017, pending approval from parliament.
Since 45 million £1 coins are fake, the new design uses Integrated Secure Identification System technology to make them more difficult to counterfeit. "ISIS has three tiers of banknote-strength security and can be authenticated via high-speed automated detection at all points within the cash cycle," explains Reuters. The Queen's head will still be on the front, but the public will vote on what appears on the opposite side. We hope it's Victoria Beckham. --Jordan Valinsky
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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