THE change in your pockets now has a new addition after the new £1 coin entered circulation.

The 12-sided coin has been introduced to cut out forgery after it was estimated one in every 30 of the old tender was counterfeit.

It has been described as the most secure coin in the world and it boasts high-tech features, including a hologram.

York’s Lendal Post Office became one of six branches across the UK to first distribute the coin, which has a gold-coloured outer ring and a silver-coloured inner ring and is based on the design of the old threepenny bit, which went out of circulation in 1971.

It can be used alongside the old pound coin until the round pound ceases to be legal tender on October 15.

Peter Newton, 63, from South Bank, was one of the first people to visit the Post Office and get his hands on the shiny new coin.

He said: “I came down because I wanted to see what they were like.

“It was just out of curiosity that I came here to have a look at one.

“There were saying it’s like the old threepenny bit, but it’s not really, it’s a lot more circular.

“I’m curious about the new hologram and if it stops counterfeit coins it’s absolutely brilliant.”

It might take a few days or weeks for people to start seeing the new £1 coins turn up in their change as they gradually filter into general use.

People using some coin-operated machines may also find that keeping a few spare round pounds in their wallet will prove handy for a while.

Not all machines will work with the new coin from the date of introduction.

The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) estimates around 85 per cent of vending machines will be able to accept the new £1 coin and all will still accept the old coin.

Yvonne Goulden is the manager at the Lendal branch.

She said: “We had a phone call last week informing us we were going to be one of six branches.

“We’ve had a lot of people coming in early to ask about the new coin, but we can’t swap them.”