English Breakfast 10p (Letter E)
The English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) 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 English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) 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 English Breakfast 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 English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) was made
Bacon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and toast, perhaps with black pudding or fried bread, all on one plate with a mug of tea on the side. The full English breakfast grew out of the hearty country house breakfasts of the Victorian era, when wealthy households laid out hot dishes for guests before a day's hunting. Over the twentieth century it moved into cafés, guest houses and railway hotels. Working people took it up as a fry-up to set them up for a long day.
Every part of the British Isles has its own take. Scotland adds tattie scones and sometimes haggis, Wales may add laverbread and cockles, while an Ulster fry is not complete without soda bread and potato bread. Arguments about whether hash browns belong, or where the beans should sit, are part of the fun. The dish has become shorthand for a slow weekend. When the Royal Mint chose 26 things that say "Britain" for its 2018 A to Z 10p series, the English breakfast took the letter E. It is one of several food and drink designs in the set alongside fish and chips, the ice cream cone and tea.
How to recognize it
The E coin shows the letter with a plated-up full English, food being an easy theme to read even on a small coin. Size and weight match every other 10p since the switch to steel in 2012: 24.5 mm across and 6.5 g, struck in nickel-plated steel with a milled edge. On the obverse is Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen. The date is the detail that separates the two versions. If it reads 2018, you have the more common launch coin. If it reads 2019, you have the smaller reissue that collectors look for. The breakfast design itself is identical on both.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) by the numbers
In mintage terms the English Breakfast 10p (Letter E) ranks 10th lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Double Decker Bus 10p (Letter D) (304,000); the next more common is the Fish and Chips 10p (Letter F) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 English Breakfast 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 English Breakfast 10p (Letter E)
- Confirm the letter and picture: E for English Breakfast, 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.
Mintages for E are 220,000 for 2018 and 84,000 for 2019. Those numbers put the 2019 coin at well under half the 2018 total. Most of the 2019 coins were set aside quickly by people already working through the alphabet. Food designs are popular as small gifts, which helps the E coin a little. Condition decides most of the interest. A coin with clean, bright surfaces is far more appealing than one that has been rattling around a pocket for years, while the busy plate shows wear early.
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 English Breakfast 10p worth keeping?
It is a nice one to keep, especially if it is dated 2019. Only 84,000 of the 2019 coins were made against 220,000 for 2018, so the later date is scarcer and can carry a small premium in good condition.
What food is on the E 10p?
The E design shows a full English breakfast, the cooked plate of bacon, eggs, sausages and the rest that is one of Britain's best known meals. It is one of several food and drink themes in the series.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.