Coins of England and Great Britain

('Coins of the UK')

by Tony Clayton

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6 - Decimal Ten Pence

Decimal Five Pence <<-- : -->> Decimal Twenty Pence

Values of Decimal 5p and 10p coins

Pictures of Decimal Ten Pence Coins on www.ukcoinpics.co.uk

The ten pence coin initially weighed 11.31 grams and had a diameter of 28.50 mm, identical in this respect to the florin. In 1992 a smaller version was introduced weighing 6.50 g and with a diameter of 24.50 mm, just slightly larger than the old 5 pence coin which had been withdrawn a year or two before.

There are six types of this coin.

First large type.
Obv: First Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting top right
Rev: Lion Passant Guardant, 10 below, NEW PENCE above
Issued from 1968 to 1981 (1972 and 1978 in Proof only)
Second large type.
Obv: First Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting top right
Rev: Lion Passant Guardant, 10 below, TEN PENCE above
Issued from 1982 to 1984 (All only obtainable from Mint and Proof sets)
Third large type.
Obv: Second Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting low left
Rev: Lion Passant Guardant, 10 below, TEN PENCE above
Issued from 1985 to 1992 (All only obtainable from Mint and Proof sets).
First small type.
Obv: Second Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting low left
Rev: Lion Passant Guardant, 10 below, TEN PENCE above
Issued from 1992 to 1997. 1993 and 1994 coins only obtainable from Mint and Proof sets. The 1996 version exists as a silver proof.
Second small type.
Obv: Third Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting low left. Initials IRB below bust.
Rev: Lion Passant Guardant, 10 below, TEN PENCE above
Issued from 1998. No coins of this type dated 1998 or 1999 entered circulation, but they are available in mint sets. However, 10p coins dated from 2000 to 2007 are in circulation.
At present 10p coins of this type dated 2008 are only available in proof and uncirculated Royal Mint sets.
Third small type.
Obv: Third Portrait, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D (date) starting low left. Initials IRB below bust. No beading.
Rev: Top left corner of the Royal Arms, TEN PENCE above
First issued in 2008 (2008 in circulation, 2009 in Royal Mint sets only at present).
Proofs in silver, 2008 and 2009

The full designation of the 1968-2008 reverse is 'Part of the crest of England, a lion passant guardant royally crowned'. It was designed by Christopher Ironside.

With the reduction in size the old larger coins, along with the florins that circulated alongside, were withdrawn from circulation and demonetized with effect from 1st July 1993.

1992 10p Die Varieties

There are two obverses for 1992, and two reverses for 10p coins dated between 1992 and 2008.

Obverse 1: L,I and A in ELIZA point to space between dots
Obverse 2: L,I and A in ELIZA point directly at dots
Reverse A: 1 of 10 points directly at a dot. Four tufts under chest, lowest hair of mane detached from back of lion.
Reverse B: 1 of 10 points at a space between two dots. Five tufts under chest, lowest hair of mane attached to back of lion.

These can be compared on the 10p Pictures Page.

In addition the milled edge can either be 'wire edge' or 'flat edge'. The 'flat edge' uses the full thickness of the coin, while the 'wire edge' seems to taper to a comparatively narrow section of reeding, and was only used during 1992.

Known combinations:

Obv 1, Rev A, Wire Edge: Extremely common (about 40%)
Obv 1, Rev A, Flat Edge: Extremely common (about 40%)
Obv 2, Rev B, Flat Edge: Very common (about 20%)
Obv 1, Rev B, Flat Edge: Scarce (less than 1%)
Obv 2, Rev A, Flat Edge: Rare (much less than 1%)

The 1992 Proof is Obverse 2 and Reverse B. 1995 and 1996 coins have an obverse similar to 2 (but not the same), and reverse A, with a flat edge.

I am grateful to Simon Hawley, who has made a study of later reverses, for the following table, which is a summary of known die variations from 1993 up until the change to new designs during 2008.

1993: Rev B: BU Sets
1994: Rev B: BU Sets
1995: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
1996: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
1997: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
1998: Rev B: BU Sets
1999: Rev B: BU Sets
2000: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
2001: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
2002: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
2003: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
2004: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets
2005: Rev A: Circulation. Rev B: BU Sets & Circulation (both types common)
2006: Rev A: Circulation (rare). Rev B: BU Sets & Circulation
2007: Rev B: BU Sets & Circulation
2008: Rev B: BU Sets & Circulation

From the above it can be seen that while reverse die B was always used for proof coins and coins destined for uncirculated sets, reverse die A was used for circulation coins until some point during 2005 when the change to die B was made. A very few 2006 coins (1 found in over 200 examples) were struck using an old type A die.

All coins dated 1993 to 1997 that have been seen use obverse type 2.

If any other die combinations are found, please let me know.

Acknowledgements

See my Main Coins Index page for acknowledgements

Help and Advice

If you wish to ask for advice, feel free to mail me via my Advice page but please do not send me unsolicited scans or other binary files.

I would also be grateful if you could search the site carefully before mailing me - the answers to the great majority of the questions that I am asked can be found on this site.

Decimal Coins of UK - 6 - 10p / Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v14a 6th November 2009