Goodbye Britannia: A first look at the new designs for Britain's billions of coins

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She will no longer rule the 50p piece, consigned to history along with the other patriotic symbols that have been familiar fixtures on the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and £1 coins.

In their place are a bold set of designs based on the Queen's coat of arms. The reverse of the new £1 piece shows the full coat and each of the smaller denominations depict close-up segments which, when fitted together, form the shield as a whole.

The Queen's 1998 portrait remains unchanged on the front of all the coins, which will stay the same size and weight, and the £2 coin has not been redesigned at all.

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Placing the new coins together makes up the coat of arms on the £1 coin (shown at the top)

The new format - the biggest change in coinage since decimalisation - was dreamed up by young graphic design graduate Matt Dent following his gap year.

He entered and won a public competition to create the next generation of coins - and at 26 becomes the youngest person ever to design the nation's currency.

The seven new coins, which were personally approved by the Prime Minister and the Queen, will appear in the nation's small change gradually from today, joining the 27 billion coins currently in circulation which will continue to be legal tender.

The scrapping of Britannia - a permanent presence on the tails side of British coins for more than 300 years - has dismayed traditionalists including Conservative leader David Cameron who has pledged a Tory government would reverse the decision.

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Minted: Matthew Dent shows off his winning design

Other critics attacked the fragmented aspect of the new designs, pointing out that the 20p, for example, is now mainly an image of the rear end of a lion.

Yesterday, the Royal Mint's chief executive, Andrew Stafford, brushed aside the concerns, saying: "Britannia is still on 800 million coins in circulation so will continue to be in people's pockets for years to come. The new coins are contemporary yet retain the gravitas and reference to history required for the United Kingdom's coins."

Sir Christopher Frayling, the chairman of the committee which chose the designs, insisted they were not "washing away the heritage of Britain", but instead bringing ancient heraldry into a modern focus.

He said: "It is a family of coins for the first time. It is a single, simple design, direct and without fuss. I think this design will be a classic, with a long shelf life. Matt Dent has written himself into a story that goes back thousands of years."

Beyond her official sanction, the Queen's views on the new designs have not been publicly disclosed, but one courtier reported that she was "quite satisfied" with them.

It was 1968, in the run up to decimalisation, that the last overhaul of Britain's coins took place.

Mr Stafford said: "Normally coins change with a change of Monarch but that is a long time ago and we decided it was time to reinvigorate the nation's coins. It is not something we undertook lightly and we spent a year doing it, to make sure we got it right. We were looking for something that gave true inspiration. A coin is the only work of art the public touches every day."

Welsh-born graphic designer Mr Dent, who beat 4,000 other entrants, won £5,000 for each of his seven designs, earning him a cheque for £35,000 for his efforts.

He will not receive any royalties from their reproduction.

Catherine Eagleton, curator of modern money at the British Museum, welcomed the new collection, saying: "I really like the way they take traditional heraldry and give it a contemporary spin. It's a different approach - previously we had emblems representing parts of the UK on different coins, now it's the whole union spread over different coins."

Mr Dent said it was "a dream come true", adding: "As a graphic designer your ambition is to make a mark in your field, you want to produce something that becomes part of people's lives."

The emblems consigned to history are: 1p Portcullis, representing Parliament; 2p Ostrich feathers, representing Prince of Wales; 5p Thistle, symbol of Scotland; 10p Lion, symbol of England; 20p Tudor Rose, representing the Monarchy; 50p Britannia, representing Britain; £1 A variety of designs representing parts of the union.

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