1 — One Pound
The artwork
Front: Queen Elizabeth II in three-quarter profile, wearing the diamond diadem and the sash and star of an order — Harry Eccleston's engraved portrait, the first to show a monarch on a Bank of England note other than in a small medallion. Centre, a roundel with a winged caduceus rising from a cornucopia and sprays of flowers, the promise to pay above it in copperplate capitals. Lower left, a seated Britannia with shield in a small medallion.
Back: Sir Isaac Newton, dated 1642–1727 in the guilloche rosette at right, seated in a full wig and heavy coat with an open book beneath his hands and a reflecting telescope on the table beside him. Behind, a schematic of the solar system with the planetary orbits and a blazing sun; apple blossom sprigs frame his head. The whole reverse is worked in grey-green with soft orange tints..first issued on 9 February 1978 and withdrawn from circulation on 11 March 1988, by which time the £1 coin of 1983 had largely taken over everyday use. No paper pound followed it; the coin remains the replacement, and the Series D note ceased to be legal tender with that 1988 withdrawal.
In circulation
The last Bank of England one-pound note, and the first of the pictorial Series D pounds: issued 9 February 1978 and withdrawn on 11 March 1988. The £1 coin, introduced in 1983, had already displaced it in daily use, and no paper pound replaced it.
Details
- CurrencyPound
- DenominationOne Pound
- Collectedon the United Kingdom journeys, 1991–2016
- IssuerBank of England — "For the Govr and Compa of the Bank of England", London
- SeriesSeries D (pictorial), Isaac Newton reverse
- SignatureJ. B. Page, Chief Cashier
- Dimensions135 × 67 mm