The Royal Mint has confirmed that the 10p coin bearing King Charles III’s likeness is now entering circulation across the United Kingdom, marking a notable moment in the ongoing transition of the nation’s currency following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
According to an announcement this week, a total of roughly 7.1 million of the new coins are being released, comprising 600,000 pieces dated 2023 and 6.5 million dated 2026. The Royal Mint says the release comes in response to growing public demand for the 10p denomination, and it represents the first time this particular coin has carried the King’s official portrait.
The coin’s reverse side features an illustration of the capercaillie, a large woodland grouse native to the Scottish Highlands, which is now so rare that conservationists warn more of the coins will soon be in public circulation than there are living birds left in the wild. The species has been placed on the UK’s Red List amid a sharp population decline that puts it at risk of vanishing from Britain for a second time.
The design forms part of a wider collection unveiled in October 2023, which draws on the flora and fauna of the British Isles and reflects the King’s long-standing interest in conservation and the natural world. A recurring motif of three interlocking Cs, referencing the cypher of Charles II, appears across the new coinage as a unifying design element.
Speaking on behalf of the Royal Mint, Director Rebecca Morgan described the release as a landmark moment for British coinage, noting that the choice of the capercaillie was intended to draw public attention to a bird whose numbers are dwindling fast enough that everyday pocket change could soon outnumber it in the wild.
The 10p is the fourth denomination to feature King Charles III’s portrait since it was first introduced on UK coins in 2022, following earlier rollouts of the 5p, 50p and £1 coins. Coins bearing the late Queen’s effigy remain legal tender and will continue circulating alongside the new designs, ensuring the changeover has minimal cost or disruption for the public.
With coins featuring the King currently accounting for only around one percent of the roughly 24.1 billion coins in circulation nationwide, the Mint expects the new 10p pieces to draw considerable interest from collectors, alongside members of the public simply checking their change.
The coins are being distributed through banks and Post Office branches across the country, with a limited number also available at the Royal Mint Experience, the organisation’s visitor attraction in South Wales. The Mint is encouraging the public to keep an eye out for the coins as they begin appearing in tills and wallets in the weeks ahead.
