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
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
