THE FINAL commemorative round pound coin features a design created by the Bishop of St Asaph.

Royal Mint chose the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron "last minute" design - based on four heraldic beasts - following a competition. The small piece of metal - showcasing The Welsh dragon, English lion, Scottish unicorn and a stag for Northern Ireland and even the Bishops initials - can be snapped up before it changes from currency to history on the Royal Mint website. Prices start from £10, the most expensive is a gold proof coin for £895.

The round pound coin is to be replaced next year by a new twelve sided coin. The very last circulating round pound was struck by The Royal Mint in December 2015.

The Bishop said: "I am absolutely delighted that I have designed the very last commemorative round pound coin. As it is a non-circulatingedition of the coin it will always be a very rare coin and, I hope, treasured.

"In my design, the four heraldic beasts are equal. Each has its quarter of the coin. There is also some cross-over parts - the dragon's wing, for example, crosses into the lion's quarter. That makes it more dynamic and also symbolic as it shows four separate nations, all an equal part, yet interlinked as they protect Britain's sovereignty, the Crown."

Bishop Gregory, an amateur artist and coin collector, began his ministry in the church in 1983 - the year the £1 coin was introduced.

He entered three designs into the Royal Mint competition, two based on the flowers of the four nations and a last minute design based onRoyal beasts.

The Bishop added: "The most challenging part was the stag as I hadn't attempted that before. As people have a clear idea of what they look like, it had to be realistic."

To read the complete article, see:
Bishop's designs final commemorative round £1 coin (www.newsnorthwales.co.uk/news/162212/bishop-s-designs-final-commemorative-round-1-coin.aspx)