New pound coins lighter and slightly bigger than old ones

London - The new pound coins will be thinner, lighter and slightly bigger than the old ones

Britain's new £1 coin with the symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland goes into circulation from Tuesday on the eve of the launch of a Brexit process that has put national unity in doubt.
The new 32 pence coin 
Today, it has a relative purchasing power of only 32 pence, compared to the purchasing power of one pound in 1983. If the Bank of England had wanted the new coin to have the same purchasing power it had enjoyed in 1983, today's new coin should be revalued as the £3.10 coin.  
The new pound coins will be thinner, lighter and slightly bigger than the old ones and will have a hologram-like image that changes from a "£" symbol to the number "1" when viewed from different angles.
Pocket money prices
The 12-sided coin is the first change to the shape of the £1 coin since its introduction in 1983. Britain's finance ministry said the new coin would be "the most secure of its kind in the world" to prevent a rise in counterfeits.
About three per cent of the current round-shaped coins are fakes.
"Staying ahead of sophisticated counterfeiters remains a constant challenge and this coin helps in that battle," said Adam Lawrence, head of the Royal Mint, which is producing around 1.5 billion new coins.
The new bi-metallic coin has the same shape as the popular old "Threepenny bit" that was introduced in 1937 and went out with decimalisation in 1971.
Queen Elizabeth II's portrait will be on the obverse side of the coin, while England's rose, Scotland's thistle, Wales's leek and Northern Ireland's shamrock will be on the other side, held in a crown.
The old coins cease to be legal tender on October 15.
Commenting on the incredible shrinking coin, Alistair McQueen, Head of Saving and Retirement said:

"Price inflation is returning. In March, inflation broke through the government's 2 per cent target for the first time since 2013. And recent research from Aviva  found the rising cost of daily necessities to be the number one financial concern amongst parents in the UK.
"Inflation silently shrinks the value of our hard-earned cash. This simple example powerfully demonstrates the value of constant budgeting and careful investing to minimise its impact. With inflation on the up, the need for vigilance is greater than it has been for a number of years.
"The purchasing power of the one pound coin may be shrinking, but with constant budgeting and careful investing the value of your savings don't have to."