DON'T forget to raid your piggy bank and check your purse and pockets this weekend for old £1 coins. 

Described as the 'most secure coin in the world', the new 12-sided coin entered circulation in March to replace the old round pound. 

At the moment, shops and businesses are happy to accept both coins. 

But from midnight on Sunday, October 15, the legal tender status of the old round pound coin will be withdrawn.

This means from October 15 shops will no longer accept the old coins but you will still be able to take them to your bank. 

Why the change?

The new coin boasts high-tech security features including a hologram.

It is being produced following concerns about sophisticated counterfeiters' ability to produce fakes of the old "

'round pound', which was first introduced more than 30 years ago.

Around one in every 30 £1 coins in people's change in recent years has been a fake.

What does the new £1 coin look like?

The new £1 coin is based on the design of the old 12-sided threepenny bit, which went out of circulation in 1971.

The new coin is made of two metals, with a gold-coloured outer ring and a silver-coloured inner ring. It has very small lettering on both sides of the coin and milled edges.

It is thinner and lighter than the round pound, but its diameter is slightly larger.

The design of the coin also has features reflecting England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a rose, a leek, a thistle and a shamrock.

What will happen to the old £1 coins?

Some of the round £1 coins will be melted down and reused to make the new £1 coin.

What should I do if I find more old pound coins after October 15?

The old round £1 coin can continue to be deposited into customer’s accounts at most high street banks and the Post Office.