1995 UK Coin £1 Silver Proof Welsh Dragon

It was decided that from 1984, British £1 coins would feature different reverse designs for each of the four parts of the United Kingdom. All £1 coins dated 1995 feature on the reverse a dragon, which appears on the badge and national flag of Wales.

Wales has a population of approximately 2.75 million and covers about one twelfth of the land area of the United Kingdom. The edge is not only milled but also inscribed. The inscription in Welsh reads:

"PLEIDIOL, WYF I'M GWLAD"

This means "True am I to my country".

The cross-crosslet mintmark of the Royal Mint Llantrisant also appears on the edge.

The dragon had been recognised as the emblem of Wales since the middle of the 16th century. Its association with Wales can in fact be traced back to the battle of Heathfield in 633 AD, when St. David persuaded his countrymen to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes by wearing a dragon in their caps.

In 1301 Edward I conferred the title Prince of Wales on his son Edward, who had been born some years earlier at Caernavon. Since that time the heir to the throne has usually, though not invariably, been created Prince of Wales.

Many will remember the colourful investiture ceremony at Caernavon in July 1969 for Prince Charles, who was created Prince of Wales in 1958. His ostrich feather badge, the distinctive badge of the Heir Apparent since Tudor times, currently appears on the reverse on the 2p.

On 28 March 2017, the circulated round pound was replaced by the 12 sided £1 coin. On the 15 October the round £1 coin will cease to be legal tender.

Read more about the pound coin in our blogs:

One Pound Coin Designs, The Complete Collection 1983 - 2017

Introducing the New 12 Sided One Pound Coin

One Pound Coin Specifications

Why Did They Make 2016 12 Sided £1 Coins?

What is a 2016 Twelve Sided New £1 Pound Coin Worth?

The obverse bears the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

A dragon above the value "ONE POUND".

The dragon, which appears on the badge and flag of Wales, is a potent expression of the strength, fire and spirit of the national character and its depiction on the reverse of the one pound coin embodies centuries of Welsh symbolism. With wings elevated, it has been modelled by Norman Sillman from a drawing provided by the College of Arms.

Early reference to the red dragon is made by the eight-century writer Nenius, who tells the story of the battle that raged between a red and a white dragon beneath the site of Vortigern's castle in Snowdonia. The white dragon is overcome and expelled by the red dragon, and since the appearance of this tale the red dragon has been linked with the great Welsh Princes. A similar story appears in The Mabinogion, where the fighting dragons are trapped in a stone coffer and buried at Dinas Emrys so that their strength would protect Britain.