New 10p coin with King Charles portrait enters circulation
The Royal Mint has released a new 10p coin featuring King Charles III and the capercaillie, a threatened bird species. The coin is part of a redesigned suite celebrating the King's love of nature, with 600,000 dated 2023 and 6.5 million dated 2026 entering circulation.
A new 10p coin featuring the portrait of King Charles III and the capercaillie, the world's largest grouse, has entered circulation in the UK. The Royal Mint has released 600,000 coins dated 2023 and 6.5 million dated 2026, marking the first time new 10p coins have been minted in about four years.
The coin is part of a redesigned suite celebrating the King's love of the natural world, with every newly-minted coin from the 1p to the £2 now featuring the country's flora and fauna. The reverse side of the 10p coin depicts the capercaillie, a bird found in a small part of Scotland and threatened with extinction. The design is based on an illustration by artist Mike Langman, who previously worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
Design and conservation significance
The capercaillie, which is on the UK conservation red list, has seen its population decline rapidly, according to the RSPB. Rebecca Morgan, director at The Royal Mint, noted that more of these coins will enter circulation than there are capercaillies left in the wild. The Royal Mint hopes that by putting this extraordinary bird into millions of pockets and purses, it can spark a nationwide conversation about the species at risk of vanishing from Britain forever.
The new coins join other King Charles III coins in circulation, which so far have been limited to the 5p, 50p, and £1 denominations. Old coins with the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II can still be used, and the new coins are only struck in response to demand. With 1.4 billion 10p coins already in circulation, there was no need for the new 10p to be released until now.
Future of UK currency
The Bank of England is also considering using images of wildlife on the next series of £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes, replacing historical characters such as Sir Winston Churchill. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast in a public vote from a shortlist of 18 animals, birds, and insects. The bank's governor, Andrew Bailey, is expected to make the final decision in the autumn, taking into account the public votes and security issues.
The new 10p coin is highly sought after by seasoned numismatists and new coin collectors, as King Charles III coins still only represent about 1% of the 24.1 billion coins in circulation across the UK. The Royal Mint has previously designed coins to help children add up, and the new designs continue to celebrate the natural world.
