- New 10p coin designs unveiled to celebrate what makes Britain great, appearing in change from March 2018
- Themes follow the alphabet from Angel of the North to Zebra Crossing
- Track your coins with the Great British Coin Hunt app
The Royal Mint has revealed a brand-new collection of 10p coins that mark an exciting departure from themes normally associated with the 1,000-year- old organisation. Featuring amongst the new designs that were unveiled today are a cup of tea, fish and chips, cricket, and the Loch Ness monster. The 26 coins map out the A-Z of what makes Britain great –
from the Angel of the North to a Zebra Crossing.
- A is for Angel of the North, which was voted the most iconic landmark in the north of the UK (25%), beating Blackpool Pier (13%), the Yorkshire Dales (9%) and even Edinburgh Castle (15%).
- S is for Stonehenge, the most famous southern landmark (32%), beating the White Cliffs of Dover (30%) and the London skyline (17%).
- B is for Bond… James Bond, our favourite character from British fiction and film, with 48% of votes, beating Harry Potter (11%), Del Boy (11%) and Miss Marple (6%).
- C is for Cricket which despite our legions of football fans, was voted the most British sport (48%) beating football (29%) and rugby (6%).
- F is for Fish & Chips, the most quintessentially British dish according to the public (52%), beating a Sunday Roast (23%) and Cream Tea (7.4%).
- I is for Ice Cream, the ultimate seaside treat (56%), beating rock (12%) and candy floss (6%).
- L is for Loch Ness Monster, our most infamous myth (84%), beating Robin Hood (51%) and George and the Dragon (5%).
- T is for Tea, which despite our growing love of coffee, was voted the drink most associated with Britain (86%), beating coffee (2%) and gin and tonic (2%) by a huge margin.
- D is for Double Decker Bus and Z is for Zebra Crossing, the most British of transport symbols, with 30% and 20% of votes respectively.
As well as the more everyday items, the collection acknowledges some of the UK’s most astonishing scientific and technological achievements – W is for World Wide Web, representing Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the internet, and G is for Greenwich Mean Time, celebrating our country’s naval history and establishing a global timescale.
Anne Jessopp, CEO at The Royal Mint said “These designs were selected because we feel they represent a diverse mix of elements that make up the country we all love. There is a lot to be proud of in the UK – whether it’s at the highest level, our Houses of Parliament representing democracy and freedom of speech, technological advancements such as Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web, or just a good cup of tea, it’s all here in the designs.
“We hope the British public is inspired to take part in the Great British Coin Hunt by checking their change for those miniature works of art that spell out just some of the many iconic themes that are Quintessentially British.”
The full Great British Coin Hunt range is as follows:
- A – Angel of the North
- B – Bond… James Bond
- C – Cricket
- D – Double Decker Bus
- E – English Breakfast
- F – Fish & Chips
- G – Greenwich Mean Time
- H – Houses of Parliament
- I – Ice-Cream Cone
- J – Jubilee
- K – King Arthur
- L – Loch Ness Monster
- M – Mackintosh
- N – National Health Service
- O – Oak Tree
- P – Post Box
- Q – Queuing
- R – Robin
- S – Stonehenge
- T – Teapot
- U – Union Flag
- V – Village
- W – World Wide Web
- X – X Marks the Spot
- Y – Yeoman
- Z – Zebra Crossing
Dr. Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint Museum, commented: “This is a departure from the standard way in which The Royal Mint has celebrated what is great about Britain in the past. We have marked great events, celebrated engineers, politicians and of course royalty. This series really drills down into the heartland of what makes Britain British. It’s the granularity of British life celebrated on the coinage.”
Accompanying the physical collection, The Royal Mint has introduced the Great British Coin Hunt app, allowing coin hunters to create a digital collection of the coins they find in their change. Users can download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play, to scan the coin with their camera, unlocking exclusive content and placing their coin into a digital folder. They can also link the app to their social media to share the treasures they find in their pockets and wallets. There will also be a heatmap within the app, showing where different coins are being found around the country and directing them to swap shops where they can trade coins with fellow collectors. Users can even use the app to have a go at designing their own coin.
The entire collection will be rolling out into circulation across the country from today, and will be available at selected Post Offices from this week. A collectors’ folder, and silver proof and uncirculated versions of the 10p coins, will be available to purchase from The Royal Mint website. For more information visit www.royalmint/coinhunt
