James Bond 10p (Letter B)
The James Bond 10p (Letter B) is a circulating A to Z 10p with 304,000 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2018
- Circulation mintage
- 304,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a James Bond 10p (Letter B) worth?
The A to Z 10p coins were made in small runs for circulation (220,000 dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019 for this letter). They were made to be collected. A circulated Bond... James Bond 10p brings a small premium to collectors filling a set, more for the scarcer 2019 date and more again in uncirculated condition.
What would make yours worth more:
- The scarcer 2019 date
- Uncirculated condition
- An original collector card or pack
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the James Bond 10p (Letter B) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many James Bond 10p (Letter B) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the James Bond 10p (Letter B) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the James Bond 10p (Letter B) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the James Bond 10p (Letter B) was made
Ian Fleming had served in naval intelligence during the Second World War. He put that world to good use when he wrote Casino Royale in 1953, introducing a British secret agent with the code number 007 and a license to kill. Fleming borrowed the name James Bond from an American ornithologist whose book on Caribbean birds sat on his shelf, choosing it because it sounded so plain. Twelve novels and two short story collections followed, the last of them published after Fleming's death in 1964.
The films took Bond around the world. Dr. No arrived in cinemas in 1962 with Sean Connery in the lead. It was Connery who first introduced himself on screen with the line "Bond. James Bond." Those three words became one of the most quoted lines in film history and the series has carried on for more than six decades with a string of different actors in the role. When the Royal Mint wanted a B for its 2018 alphabet of British icons, the world's best known fictional spy was an easy pick. The coin's title even borrows the famous introduction, which made B one of the letters that got people talking as soon as the series was announced.
How to recognize it
The letter B sits at the heart of a design built around the 007 films, a nod to the character rather than a portrait of any one actor. Turn the coin over and you will find the usual Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the year struck alongside it. Physically there is nothing unusual here. It is a nickel-plated steel 10p, 24.5 mm in diameter, weighing 6.5 g, with a milled edge, so it behaves in a vending machine exactly like any other 10p. Look carefully at the date. The B design exists dated 2018 and dated 2019. The 2019 coins are the scarcer of the pair.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
James Bond 10p (Letter B) by the numbers
By the numbers, the James Bond 10p (Letter B) ranks 7th lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Angel of the North 10p (Letter A) (304,000); the next more common is the Cricket 10p (Letter C) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Bond... James Bond 10p coins, 220,000 are dated 2018 and 84,000 are dated 2019. About 2.6 coins were dated 2018 for every one dated 2019, which makes 2019 the date to look for.
What to check on your James Bond 10p (Letter B)
- Confirm the letter and picture: B for Bond... James Bond, with the date 2018 or 2019.
- Check the date. The 2019 coins had much smaller runs, so the same letter is scarcer with a 2019 date.
- Look at the surfaces under a light: coins from collector packs have unbroken luster, while change-worn coins show scuffs on the letter and design.
- Keep sets in order in a holder rather than loose; scratches on the large flat letter are easy to see.
For the B coin the Royal Mint struck 220,000 dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019. That second figure is well under half the first. By the time the 2019 coins appeared, a great many people were already checking every 10p they handled, so a good share vanished into albums almost as soon as they left the bank. The Bond design also pulls in film fans who would never otherwise keep a coin, which adds a little extra demand. A clean 2019 B tends to earn a small premium. A worn 2018 one is usually a face value keeper.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2018 |
| Circulation mintage | 304,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 6.5 g |
| Diameter | 24.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2018 A to Z 10p coins
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2019 James Bond 10p rare?
It is scarcer than the 2018 version, with 84,000 made against 220,000. It is not a great rarity, but it turns up far less often in change and a well kept example can carry a small premium.
Why is James Bond on a 10p coin?
The Royal Mint chose 26 British icons for its A to Z 10p series in 2018, one for each letter. Ian Fleming's spy, created in 1953 and famous on film since 1962, was the choice for B.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.