2007 Gateshead Millennium Bridge Piedfort £1 Silver Proof Coin PCGS PR69 DCAM

In 2007 to celebrate famous bridges from the United Kingdom the Royal Mint released a special Limited Issue Piedfort Gateshead Millennium Bridge £1 One Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver and Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR69 DCAM.

The reverse depicts the Gateshead Millennium Bridge designed by Edwina Ellis and the obverse is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Ian Rank Broadley.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.

Piedforts are coins which have been specially struck on thicker than normal blanks.
As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces.
In Britain the practice of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.

• Limited Mintage of 5,379 Worldwide
• Piedfort Double the Thickness and Weight of its Standard Counterpart
• Finished to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid .925 Sterling Silver
• Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR69 DCAM