A new 10p coin, bearing the portrait of King Charles III and an image of the world's largest grouse, the capercaillie, is now entering circulation in the United Kingdom. This marks the first release of newly minted 10p coins for general circulation in approximately four years.
The redesigned coins, dated 2023 and 2026, are being distributed nationwide by The Royal Mint. The reverse side of the coin features the capercaillie, a bird native to a small region of Scotland that is currently threatened with extinction. This design is part of a broader initiative by The Royal Mint to celebrate King Charles III's connection to the natural world. Unveiled in October 2023, the new suite of coins from 1p to £2 now depict the country's flora and fauna on their tails side, including designs such as bees and an oak tree leaf.
Previously, coins circulating with King Charles III's effigy have been limited to the 5p, 50p, and £1 denominations. Old coins featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender, and new coins are only produced in response to demand. With an estimated 1.4 billion 10p coins already in circulation, there had been no need to release a new design for this denomination until now.
Approximately 600,000 coins dated 2023 and 6.5 million coins dated 2026 have been released to banks and post offices across the UK. Despite these new releases, coins featuring King Charles III still represent only about 1% of the total 24.1 billion coins in circulation, making the newly introduced 10p coins potentially sought after by both seasoned numismatists and new collectors.