Villages 10p (Letter V)
The Villages 10p (Letter V) 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 Villages 10p (Letter V) 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 Villages 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 Villages 10p (Letter V) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many Villages 10p (Letter V) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Villages 10p (Letter V) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the Villages 10p (Letter V) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the Villages 10p (Letter V) was made
The British village is a picture many people carry in their heads: a green with a cricket pitch, a church with a square tower, a pub with a hanging sign, cottages with thatched roofs and perhaps a duck pond. Many villages have roots stretching back more than a thousand years. Thousands of them were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Village life shaped traditions such as fêtes, flower shows, maypoles and harvest festivals, many of which carry on today.
Villages remain at the heart of rural Britain. Some have changed little in centuries, while others have grown into commuter towns. They have provided settings for countless novels, detective stories and television dramas. Their churches, pubs and halls act as community centers. Many villages compete in "best kept village" competitions, polishing their greens and flower beds each summer. The Royal Mint chose villages for the letter V in its 2018 A to Z 10p series. V is not an easy letter for any alphabet of British icons and the village was an apt choice that celebrates everyday life rather than a single famous landmark.
How to recognize it
The V coin brings together the letter V and a village scene, celebrating traditional rural Britain rather than any one named place. It is struck to the standard 10p specification: nickel-plated steel, 24.5 mm across, 6.5 g, with a milled edge. On the obverse you will find Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date. The Villages design was issued with 2018 and 2019 dates, both with the same reverse, so only the date tells them apart. Small buildings and fine lines make this one of the designs that suffers most from wear. Use a magnifier if the details look muddy.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
Villages 10p (Letter V) by the numbers
By the numbers, the Villages 10p (Letter V) ranks 25th lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Union Flag 10p (Letter U) (304,000); the next more common is the X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Villages 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 Villages 10p (Letter V)
- Confirm the letter and picture: V for Villages, 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.
Villages had 220,000 coins struck for 2018 and 84,000 for 2019. The design is less eye catching than some letters, which means it can be overlooked in change. That makes it worth checking every 10p closely. The 2019 date is scarcer, having had a much smaller mintage and meeting plenty of eager collectors. Look for clear detail in the village scene. Because it wears down quickly in circulation, a crisp example of either date stands out in a set. Worn coins are still worth keeping until a better one comes along.
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 does V stand for on the 10p coin?
V stands for Villages, celebrating the traditional British village with its green, church, pub and cottages. It was the Royal Mint's choice for the letter V in the 2018 A to Z 10p series of British icons.
How many Villages 10p coins were minted?
The Royal Mint struck 220,000 Villages 10p coins dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019 for circulation. The 2019 date is the harder of the two to find, so check the date on any V coin.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.