X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X)
The X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) 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 an X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) 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 X Marks The Spot 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 X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) was made
X marks the spot is a phrase that conjures up pirates, buried gold and treasure maps. The idea owes a great deal to Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author whose novel Treasure Island was published in 1883. The book's map, with crosses marking where Captain Flint buried his treasure, inspired countless stories, films and children's games. Long John Silver, his parrot and young Jim Hawkins became part of popular culture and much of what people picture when they think of pirates comes from that one book.
The phrase is now used for any hidden prize or secret location. Children draw treasure maps at parties. The excitement of a hunt sits at the heart of many games. The Royal Mint chose X Marks the Spot for X in its 2018 A to Z 10p series. It was a fitting choice, since the whole series was designed as a hunt for treasure in your change. X is one of the hardest letters for any alphabet. The Royal Mint found a playful answer that linked the theme of the coin to the purpose of the series itself, a small joke that most collectors enjoy.
How to recognize it
The X design is built around the idea of a treasure hunt, with the letter X itself serving as the mark on the map. It is a standard nickel-plated steel 10p, 24.5 mm across and 6.5 g, with a milled edge. The obverse carries the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date. X coins were issued dated 2018 and 2019 with the same reverse, so the date tells you which version you have. Since the letter dominates the design, it is also the part that wears first. A crisp X with sharp corners points to a coin that has had an easy life.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) by the numbers
In mintage terms the X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X) is the most common of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Villages 10p (Letter V) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 X Marks The Spot 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 X Marks the Spot 10p (Letter X)
- Confirm the letter and picture: X for X Marks The Spot, 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.
X Marks the Spot had a 2018 mintage of 220,000 and a 2019 mintage of 84,000. Unlike W, Y and Z, it kept the standard 2019 figure. The design ties neatly into the treasure hunt theme of the series, which makes it a favorite with families hunting together. The 2019 date is still the scarcer of the two by a wide margin. Look for coins with a crisp letter and clean surfaces. Those draw the most interest when people swap or compare their finds.
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 X Marks the Spot mean on the 10p?
It refers to the cross on a treasure map showing where treasure is buried, an idea made famous by Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island in 1883. It suits a coin series that was designed as a hunt.
How many X Marks the Spot 10p coins were made?
There were 220,000 made dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019. The 2019 coin is far less common, although X was not cut back as sharply in 2019 as W, Y and Z were.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.