The Royal Mint said more than 2.5% of all £1 coins currently in circulation -- approximately 1 in 40 -- are fake. The new pound is being hailed by the Royal Mint as the most secure coin in the world.

LONDON – A new 12-sided British pound coin is entering circulation amid concern that the round pound was too easy to counterfeit. The new coin introduced Tuesday is intended to be the most ...

"You should also become suspicious when a vending machine keeps on rejecting a R5 coin, especially if it is dated 1994 or 1995 because vending machines are calibrated to reject fake coins," he says.