The British decimal ten pence (10p) coin - often pronounced ten pee - is a unit of currency equalling ten one-hundredths of a pound sterling. These circulating coins went through a few transformations; initially, they were large (equivalent to the pre-decimal two shilling (florin) coin) and featured a crowned lion reverse; in 1992 this was changed to a smaller 10p coin, retaining the same design.
In 2008 though the reverse was changed to Matthew Dent's design; in a world-first concept, the designs for the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins depict sections of the Royal Shield that form the whole shield when placed together (the shield in its entirety being featured on the £1 coin, which was discontinued in 2017).
Starting from 2012, the 10p coin was changed from cupro-nickel to nickel-plated steel.
During all this time, the denomination was only used to issue regular circulating coins. In 2018 however, the Royal Mint made history by starting a "coin hunt" when it issued the 10p A-Z Collection - a series of circulating commemorative coins, each featuring a letter of the alphabet and a British Heritage symbol with a name starting with that letter. The series is also remarkable in that the value of the coin is, for the first time in the history of the denomination, displayed on the obverse.
Due to their very low mintage, these are avidly collected by the public and do not, strictly speaking, circulate in any realistic manner.
The 10p A-Z Collection consists of the following 10p coins (issued in 2018 initially, then again in 2019):
A - Angel of the North (also in 2018),
B - Bond... James Bond (also in 2018),
C - Cricket (also in 2018),
D - Double Decker Bus (also in 2018),
E - English Breakfast (also in 2018),
F - Fish and Chips (also in 2018),
G - Greenwich Mean Time (also in 2018),
H - Houses of Parliament (also in 2018),
I - Ice Cream (also in 2018),
J - Jubilee (also in 2018),
K - King Arthur (also in 2018),
L - Loch Ness (also in 2018),
M - Mackintosh (also in 2018),
N - NHS (also in 2018),
O - Oak Tree (also in 2018),
P - Postbox (also in 2018),
Q - Queuing (also in 2018),
R - Robin (also in 2018),
S - Stonehenge (also in 2018),
T - Tea (also in 2018),
U - Union Flag (also in 2018),
V - Villages (also in 2018),
W - World Wide Web (also in 2018),
X - X Marks the Spot (also in 2018),
Y - Yeoman Warder (also in 2018),
Z - Zebra Crossing (also in 2018).
The 10p coin is legal tender for amounts up to £5. |
| Notes | 84,000 coins were released into circulation, and 27,126 were sold to collectors packaged in plastic bags.
"We don’t need much excuse in Great Britain to get out the bunting and hold a good ole fashioned Street Party and a Royal Jubilee does just that. They provide us with an occasion to celebrate the life and reign of our monarch and are usually marked with people coming together with neighbours, sharing food, drink and embarking on a range of fun activities.
Queen Elizabeth II, our longest reigning monarch, and Queen Victoria are the only two reigning British monarchs to have celebrated their Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne) - both with extensive celebrations.
Over 2 million people took part in street parties to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012. The occasion was marked with an array of celebrations over the weekend, including the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, a maritime flotilla of some 1000 boats and vessels led by the Queen’s Royal Barge ‘Gloriana’, and a Diamond Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace." |
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