| ||||||||||||
The twenty pence coin is a circulating denomination of the British (decimal) Pound Sterling. 20 pence equal one fifth of a pound. In August 2005 the Royal Mint launched a competition to find new reverse designs for all circulating coins apart from the £2 coin. The winner, announced in April 2008, was Matthew Dent, whose designs were gradually introduced into the circulating British coinage from mid-2008. 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 was featured on the £1 coin (now discontinued). This 20p coin design, which replaced the earlier 20p design by William Gardner, depicts the meeting point of the second and fourth quarter of the shield, showing the Lion Rampant of Scotland and the Lions Passants of England; the value and denomination, in words: TWENTY PENCE are around right. The date no longer appears on the reverse of the coin, and has instead been added to the obverse, where the lettering has been adjusted so as to fit the date in. To help identification and avoid confusion with similar sized coins the 20p is seven sided and like the 50p is an equilateral curve heptagon. The shape, with its constant rolling diameter, means that it is readily acceptable in vending machines. Twenty and fifty pence coins are legal tender only up to the sum of £10; this means that it is permissible to refuse payment of sums greater than this amount in 20p coins in order to settle a debt. Coins issued in 2008 have now been circulating for 17 years. | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
![]() |
Buy Austrian Silver Philharmonics Online |
Variety | In mint sets | |
---|---|---|
Mintage | Issued: 100,000 (included in total) | |
In Set |
United Kingdom Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Collection Royal Shield of Arms, mintage 100,000
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: 20,000 (included in total) | |
In Set |
2008 United Kingdom Coinage Royal Shield of Arms Proof Collection, mintage 20,000
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Silver Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: 10,000 | |
Material | 0.925 Silver | |
Details | 21.40 mm, 5.00 g of Sterling Silver (0.1487 oz. ASW). | |
In Set |
2008 United Kingdom Coinage Royal Shield of Arms Silver Proof Collection, mintage 10,000
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Silver Proof Piedfort | |
Mintage | Issued: 3,000 | |
Material | 0.925 Silver | |
Details | 21.40 mm, 10.00 g of Sterling Silver. Listed in Spink only, not in Krause. | |
In Set |
2008 United Kingdom Coinage Royal Shield of Arms Silver Piedfort Collection, mintage 3,000
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Gold Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: 886 | |
Material | 0.917 Gold | |
Details | 21.40 mm, 5.00 g of 22-carat Gold. | |
In Set |
2008 United Kingdom Coinage Royal Shield of Arms Gold Proof Collection, mintage 886
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Platinum Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: 184 | |
Material | 0.999 Platinum | |
Details | 21.40 mm, 12.01 g of 99.9% Platinum. | |
In Set |
2008 United Kingdom Coinage Royal Shield of Arms Platinum Proof Collection, mintage 184
7 coins: £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Dateless 20 Pence (mule) | |
Images |
![]() |
![]() |
Mintage | Issued: 50,000 (included in total) | |
Details | An unusual accidental dateless version of the 20 pence was reported to be in circulation in June 2009, the first undated British coin to enter circulation in more than 300 years. This was the result of the production of a mule, i.e. a version of the coin with a non-standard combination of obverse and reverse face designs. The fault occurred as a result of the 2008 redesign of UK coinage, which moved the date on a 20 pence from the reverse to the obverse (Queen's head side), and a batch of coins were produced using the tooling for the obverse of the old design and the reverse of the new design. The Royal Mint estimated that between 50,000 and 200,000 entered circulation before the error was noticed. The Royal Mint stated these coins were still legal tender, although due to their rarity they are traded above face value by collectors. |
Source | Edition | About | Link | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Royal Mint | 28th March 2019 | Mint | link | |
Royal Mint | 28th March 2019 | Mintage | link | Circulation mintage |
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | Mintage | Proof and sets mintage | ||
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | Varieties | Proofs, mint sets |
![]() |
London Mint Office coins. |
Country | United Kingdom |
---|---|
Currency | Pound Sterling |
Coin Type | Twenty Pence (Dent design) |
Issued | 2008 |
Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II |
Effigy | Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait, by Ian Rank-Broadley |
Face Value | 20 (x Penny) |
Circulation Mintage | 115,022,000 (115.0 million) |
Total Mintage | 115,142,000 (115.1 million), Rarity: C (Common) |
Current | Yes |
Material | CuproNickel |
Designer | Matthew Dent |
Technology | Milled (machine-made) |
Shape | Heptagon (Seven-sided) |
Orientation | Medal Alignment (Axis 0) |
Size | 21.4000 mm |
Thickness | 1.7000 mm |
Mass | 5.0000 g |
OCC ID | KLBR-PORR-CZJL-OMNY |
![]() |
Handbook of United States Coins 2025 |
Image | Details |
---|---|
![]() |
Coin, Great Britain, Elizabeth II, 20 Pence, 2008
Copyright: NumisCorner.com Source |
![]() |
Coin, Great Britain, Elizabeth II, 20 Pence, 2008
Copyright: NumisCorner.com Source |
![]() |
2008 Undated 20 Pence Mule Error Coin
Copyright: Chards Source |
![]() |
2008 Undated 20 Pence Mule Error Coin
Copyright: Chards Source |
Source | Reference ID |
---|---|
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | G4 (was 4631), G4A (was 4631A), No Date mule |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 1111b (Gold), 1111c (Platinum) |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 1111, 1111a (Silver) |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 1122 (No Date mule) |