nd England, with the Royal Coat of Arms used in every fifth year:
|Royal designs||Themed designs|
|1983: Royal Coat of Arms||National plants||1984: Thistle||1985: Leek||1986: Flax||1987: Oak|
|1988: Royal Shield & Crown||National plants||1989: Thistle||1990: Leek||1991: Flax||1992: Oak|
|1993: Royal Coat of Arms||National symbols||1994: Lion Rampant||1995: Welsh dragon||1996: Celtic cross||1997: The Three Lions|
|1998: Royal Coat of Arms||National symbols||1999: Lion Rampant||2000: Welsh dragon||2001: Celtic cross||2002: The Three Lions|
|2003: Royal Coat of Arms||Bridges||2004: Forth Bridge||2005: Menai Suspension Bridge||2006: MacNeill's Egyptian Arch||2007: Gateshead Millennium Bridge|
|2008-: Royal Shield||Capitals||2011: Edinburgh||2011: Cardiff||2010: Belfast||2010: London|
|2008-: Royal Shield||National plants||2014: Thistle & bellflower stem||2013: Leek & daffodil plant||2014: Shamrock & flax stem||2013: Rose & oak twig|
Royal Shield reverse
The 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coin designs post 2008 each depict a part of the Royal Shield, and form the whole shield when they are placed together in the appropriate arrangement. The Royal Shield is seen in its entirety on the £1 coin.
- The 1p coin depicts the lower part of the first quarter and the upper part of the third quarter of the shield, showing the lions passant of England and the harp of Ireland respectively
- The 2p coin depicts most of the second quarter of the shield, showing the lion rampant of Scotland
- The 5p coin depicts the centre of the shield, showing the meeting and parts of the constituent parts of the shield
- The 10p coin depicts most of the first quarter of the shield, containing the three lions passant of England
- The 20p coin depicts the lower part of the second quarter and upper part of the fourth quarter, showing the lion rampant of Scotland and the lions passant of England respectively
- The 50p coin depicts the point of the shield and the bottom portions of the second and third quarters showing the harp of Ireland and lions passant of England respectively
- The £1 coin depicts the whole of the Royal Shield
- The standard-issue £2 coin design remains unchanged
The 1p, 2p, 20p and 50p coins have smooth edges. The 5p, 10p, £1 and £2 coins have milled edges. The milling, in combination with the non-circular shape of the 20p and 50p, serve as the primary means of identification and differentiation between coinage for blind or visually impaired people. Historically, milling also served to discourage coin clipping.
The £1 coin and £2 coins have, inscribed into the milling, words or a decoration related to their face design. Many issues of the £1 coin carry one of the following edge inscriptions:
- DECUS ET TUTAMEN — Latin for "An ornament and a safeguard", a phrase taken from Virgil's Aeneid, and here referring to the fact that the inscription serves both as a decorative feature and as a safeguard against the clipping of the coin's edges (this is not a modern concern, but harks back to the days when circulating coins were made of precious metals). This appears on coins with English-themed, Northern Irish-themed or general UK-themed designs.
- PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD — Welsh for "True am I to my country", from the Welsh national anthem. This appears on coins with Welsh-themed designs.
- NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT — Latin for "No-one provokes me with impunity", the motto of the Order of the Thistle. This appears on coins with Scottish-themed designs.
The standard-issue £2 coin carries the edge inscription STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS. Other designs of the coin are issued from time to time to commemorate special events or anniversaries. These may have special edge inscriptions relevant to the theme, or the edge inscription may be replaced by a decorative motif.
Three commemorative designs were issued of the large version of the 50p: in 1973 (the EEC), 1992–3 (EC presidency) and 1994 (D-Day anniversary). Commemorative designs of the smaller 50p coin have been issued (alongside the Britannia standard issue) in 1998 (two designs), 2000, and from 2