In March, Britain will start to say a slow goodbye to the round £1 coin, as it is replaced with a 12-sided one.
It is the next in line for a big change after the new plastic Winston Churchill £5 note was launched earlier in the year – with a new £10 and £20 note coming in future years.
The round coin came into circulation in 1983 and replaced the old £1 note.
Final design: These are the last round £1 coins - they will not enter circulation, but can be bought online
The Bank of England is changing the shape of the coin as it estimates three per cent are counterfeit.
The shift over to the new shape means that some of the 24 £1 coin designs which have been in circulation could fetch a tidy return next year if in mint or near mint condition.
Meanwhile, the last batch to roll off the presses, a 2016 coin, which has not entered circulation, can be bought via the Royal Mint for £10, or Westminster Collection for £8.98.
The Royal Mint has set no limit on how many of these coins will be minted, it is down to demand.
If demand is low, in theory, it could make it highly sought after in the future.
The full set: All of the round £1 coin designs since they launched in 1983
At present, a full set of 24 coins – excluding the missing 2016 £1 – are already selling for £79 on online marketplace eBay if they are in mint or near mint condition, according to Yasmin Britton, an expert who runs blog Change Checker.
But a full set, with the 2016 £1 coin included, could see values soar once the round coin starts to disappear from our purses and jars.
Yasmin Britton said: 'Once the new 12-sided £1 coin is introduced in March and the round pound coins completely disappear from circulation it will be almost impossible to complete a collection of £1's as you won't be able to find any in your change.
'As with all coins, once they are no longer in circulation, they become worth more as they are harder to find and therefore sought-after.'
The rarest of £1 coins has a circulation of under 1million - the 2011 coin featuring the Edinburgh coat of arms which had a mintage of 935,000.
Sold by themselves, these go for around £5 on online auction websites, which is far less than the Kew Gardens 50p – or any mentioned in our round-up of valuable coins that can turn up in your change.
However, as part of a full set and in pristine condition, it could be well worth hanging onto if you get one in your change.
Rarest of all: Only 935k Edinburgh £1 coins were minted
In comparison, there are 417million £2 coins and 948million 50ps.
But, there are 11billion 1p coins, 6.5billion 2p coins and 3.8billion 5p coins according to the Royal Mint.
Experts predict confusion in the six month crossover between March and September when the new 12-sided coin and old style round £1 will be accepted by retailers.
Changes are also having to be made to thousands of parking meters and vending machines ahead of the new £1.
New design: The 12-sided £1 coin
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