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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 2011 have now been circulating for 14 years. | ||||||||||||
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Variety | In mint sets | |
---|---|---|
Mintage | Issued: 56,007 (included in total) | |
In Sets |
2011 United Kingdom Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Collection, mintage unknown, limited to 50,000
13 coins: £2 Technology, £2 King James Bible, £2 Mary Rose, £1 Royal Shield, £1 Cardiff, £1 Edinburgh, 50p, 50p WWF, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p - variety: My First Coins (2011), mintage unknown (included in the above set) Celebrating Great Britain - Coins of the Year 2011, mintage 56,007 8 coins: £2 Technology, £1 Royal Shield, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p 40th Anniversary of Decimalisation 2011 - Anniversary Coin Pack, mintage unknown 6 coins: 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p | |
Variety | Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: 28,974 (included in total) | |
In Set |
2011 The United Kingdom Proof Coin Set, mintage 28,974
14 coins: £5 Prince Philip, £2 Technology, £2 King James Bible, £2 Mary Rose, £1 Royal Shield, £1 Cardiff, £1 Edinburgh, 50p, 50p WWF, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p - variety: 2011 The United Kingdom Proof Coin Set (Deluxe), mintage unknown (included in the above set) - variety: 2011 The United Kingdom Executive Proof Set, mintage unknown (included in the above set) | |
Variety | Silver Proof FDC | |
Mintage | Issued: unknown | |
Material | 0.925 Silver | |
Details | 5.00 g., 0.925 Silver 0.1487 oz. ASW, 21.4 mm. Krause also lists a Silver Proof Piedfort version not attested elsewhere. | |
In Set |
2011 The United Kingdom Silver Proof Coin Set, mintage unknown, limited to 2,500
14 coins: £5 Prince Philip, £2 Technology, £2 King James Bible, £2 Mary Rose, £1 Royal Shield, £1 Cardiff, £1 Edinburgh, 50p, 50p WWF, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p |
Source | Edition | About | Link | Notes |
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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 mintage | ||
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | Varieties | Proofs, mint sets | ||
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Varieties | Piedfort |
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Royal Mint |
Country | United Kingdom |
---|---|
Currency | Pound Sterling |
Coin Type | Twenty Pence (Dent design) |
Issued | 2011 |
Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II |
Effigy | Queen Elizabeth II - Fourth Portrait, by Ian Rank-Broadley |
Face Value | 20 (x Penny) |
Circulation Mintage | 191,625,000 (191.6 million) |
Total Mintage | 191,709,981 (191.7 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 | WLGV-BELD-CYAW-EMPX |
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Handbook of United States Coins 2025 |
Source | Reference ID |
---|---|
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | G4 (was 4631) |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 1111, 1111a (Silver) |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# P81 (Silver Proof Piedfort) |