Tea 10p (Letter T)
The Tea 10p (Letter T) 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 Tea 10p (Letter T) 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 Tea 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 Tea 10p (Letter T) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many Tea 10p (Letter T) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Tea 10p (Letter T) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the Tea 10p (Letter T) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the Tea 10p (Letter T) was made
Tea reached England in the seventeenth century as an expensive novelty from China, sold in London coffee houses. It became fashionable after Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese princess who married Charles II in 1662, brought her love of tea to the royal court. Over the next two centuries prices fell and plantations spread to India and Ceylon. Tea became the everyday drink of the whole country rather than a luxury for the rich.
Afternoon tea, with sandwiches, scones and cakes, is credited to Anna, Duchess of Bedford. In the 1840s she started asking for a light meal in the late afternoon to bridge the long gap between lunch and dinner and her friends soon followed. Tea breaks became part of factory and office life. The offer to put the kettle on is still the British answer to almost any crisis, from a flat tire to bad news. The Royal Mint chose tea for the letter T in its 2018 A to Z 10p series. Along with the English breakfast, fish and chips and the ice cream cone, it gave the set a strong food and drink theme.
How to recognize it
Tea is the theme of the T coin, with the letter set into a design celebrating the nation's favorite drink. It shares the standard 10p specification: nickel-plated steel, 24.5 mm across, 6.5 g, with a milled edge. On the other side is Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the date. The Tea design appears on coins dated 2018 and 2019 without any change to the reverse. Check the date to see which version you have, since the 2019 coin is much scarcer. Before 2012 the 10p was struck in cupronickel, so if a magnet will not lift your 10p, it is an older coin and not part of this series.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
Tea 10p (Letter T) by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the Tea 10p (Letter T) ranks 23rd lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) (304,000); the next more common is the Union Flag 10p (Letter U) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Tea 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 Tea 10p (Letter T)
- Confirm the letter and picture: T for Tea, 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.
Tea has a 2018 mintage of 220,000 and a 2019 mintage of 84,000, the standard split for most letters. As a widely loved British theme, the T coin is often kept as a souvenir by people who do not collect coins seriously. That reduces how often you will see one in change, especially the 2019 date. A crisp coin with a clear letter is the one to keep. Heavily worn coins still fill a space in your album and cost nothing beyond face value.
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
What is on the T 10p coin?
The T coin celebrates tea, often described as Britain's national drink. It was one of 26 British icons chosen by the Royal Mint for the A to Z 10p series in 2018 and one of several food and drink themes.
Is the Tea 10p valuable?
A circulated 2018 Tea 10p is generally kept at face value, since 220,000 were made. The 2019 date, with 84,000 struck, is scarcer and can carry a small premium in good condition.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.