Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I)
The Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) 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 Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) 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 Ice Cream Cone 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 Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) was made
Few sounds say summer in Britain like the chimes of an ice cream van turning into the street. Soft whipped ice cream in a wafer cone, often with a stick of chocolate flake pushed into the top to make a "99," is sold from vans, beach kiosks and seaside piers from Cornwall to the Scottish coast. Italian immigrants played a big part in Britain's ice cream trade from the late nineteenth century, opening cafés and parlors in Scotland, Wales and the north of England.
Eating ice cream on a cold, windy promenade is a very British kind of optimism. The cone has become a symbol of holidays at the seaside, school sports days and sunny afternoons in the park. The Royal Mint chose it for the letter I in its 2018 A to Z 10p series, one of a group of designs that celebrate everyday British food and drink. It is a cheerful design with obvious appeal for children and it was one of the letters most often kept and swapped in classrooms while the hunt was at its height.
How to recognize it
An ice cream cone stands beside the letter I, a simple and friendly image that is easy to read even after some wear. The coin itself is a standard 10p in every other way: nickel-plated steel, 24.5 mm, 6.5 g, with a milled edge. Turn it over to see Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date. The I coin was released with two different dates, 2018 and 2019, while the reverse stays the same. The year on the obverse is the only clue to which version you have. Tilt the coin under a light to check the top of the cone, which is the high point of the design.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I) ranks 14th lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Houses of Parliament 10p (Letter H) (304,000); the next more common is the Jubilee 10p (Letter J) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Ice Cream Cone 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 Ice Cream Cone 10p (Letter I)
- Confirm the letter and picture: I for Ice Cream Cone, 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.
Production for I ran to 220,000 coins dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019. The 2019 coins are scarcer partly because fewer were made and partly because they came out when the hunt was in full swing, so finders kept them. Children's favorites like the ice cream cone often show heavy handling, with scuffs across the cone and the letter. A clean coin stands out. In circulated condition the 2018 coin is a face value find, while a sharp 2019 date can command a small premium.
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 Ice Cream 10p rare?
The 2018 coin is one of the more common A to Z pieces at 220,000 made. The 2019 version, with only 84,000 struck, is noticeably scarcer and the one collectors try harder to find.
What is the I on the A to Z 10p?
I stands for Ice Cream Cone, a symbol of British summers, seaside holidays and the ice cream van. It was one of 26 designs chosen by the Royal Mint for its 2018 A to Z 10p series.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.