Postbox 10p (Letter P)
The Postbox 10p (Letter P) 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 Postbox 10p (Letter P) 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 Postbox 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 Postbox 10p (Letter P) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many Postbox 10p (Letter P) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Postbox 10p (Letter P) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the Postbox 10p (Letter P) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the Postbox 10p (Letter P) was made
Before 1840, letters in Britain were usually paid for by the person receiving them, at rates that depended on distance. Rowland Hill's reforms introduced the Uniform Penny Post that year, with the Penny Black as the world's first adhesive postage stamp. Posting a letter suddenly became cheap and simple. The Post Office needed more places for people to drop their mail. The novelist Anthony Trollope, then working as a Post Office surveyor, recommended roadside pillar boxes and the first ones went up in Jersey in 1852. The British mainland followed a year later.
Early boxes came in various shapes and colors, including a dark green, before red became standard from 1874 so people could spot them easily. Most boxes carry the royal cypher of the monarch on the throne when they were installed, so Victorian boxes are still in use on British streets alongside ones bearing the cypher of Elizabeth II. In 2012 some were painted gold to honor Olympic and Paralympic champions. The Royal Mint chose the postbox for P in its 2018 A to Z 10p series, one of the most familiar everyday objects in the country.
How to recognize it
The P design features a traditional pillar postbox standing next to the letter P. Every other detail is standard for a 10p: 24.5 mm diameter, 6.5 g, nickel-plated steel with a milled edge. On the obverse sits Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date. Postbox 10p coins were struck with both 2018 and 2019 dates and the reverse is the same on both. The year is how you tell them apart, so look before you spend it. If you are unsure whether a coin is a genuine circulation piece of this period, a magnet test is quick: it should stick.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
Postbox 10p (Letter P) by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the Postbox 10p (Letter P) ranks 21st lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Oak Tree 10p (Letter O) (304,000); the next more common is the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Postbox 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 Postbox 10p (Letter P)
- Confirm the letter and picture: P for Postbox, 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.
The Postbox 10p was made in quantities of 220,000 for 2018 and 84,000 for 2019. Its tall, simple shape makes it one of the easier letters to spot quickly in a handful of change. That also means plenty of 2018 coins have already been picked out and kept. The 2019 date is scarcer still, with fewer than half the mintage and an audience of collectors ready for it. Look for a crisp outline on the postbox and a clean field around it. Worn coins are fine as space fillers but bring little extra interest.
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 Postbox 10p rare?
The 2018 Postbox 10p is fairly easy to find within the series, with 220,000 made. The 2019 version had only 84,000 struck, so it is far less common and the one collectors are most keen to find.
Why are British postboxes red?
Early pillar boxes were painted different colors, including green, but red was adopted as standard from 1874 so they would stand out on the street. The red pillar box celebrated on the P 10p is now a national symbol.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.