1968 10p Coin
The 1968 10p is a 10p coin struck for circulation with 336.1 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1968
- Circulation mintage
- 336,143,250
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
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 1968 10p worth?
336.1 million were made, so the 1968 10p is common. It is the original large size, which is no longer legal tender, so a worn one has no spending value; collectors only want uncirculated examples and the scarcer dates.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- A sets-only date
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1968 10p rare?
- No. 336.1 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1968 10p coins were made?
- 336,143,250 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1968 10p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 11.31 g and measures 28.5 mm.
- Is the 1968 10p still legal tender?
- No. The original large 10p stopped being legal tender in 1993, after the smaller coin arrived in 1992. Collectors still keep scarce dates.
The 1968 10p coin in context
Britain met its first decimal coins long before Decimal Day. On 23 April 1968 the 5p and 10p went into circulation, almost three years ahead of the switch on 15 February 1971. The 10p was designed to slip in without fuss. It matched the florin, the two shilling coin, in size, weight and metal, so for the next three years it was simply used as two shillings. Shops did not need to change a thing to accept it. Customers could hand over either coin for the same purchase.
The launch called for a lot of coins. The Royal Mint struck 336,143,250 10ps dated 1968, the third highest figure of any 10p and the largest of the large size. Another 314,008,000 followed in 1969 before output dropped back to 133,571,000 in 1970. Because they were made in such numbers and spent for twenty five years, most 1968 10ps are well worn. Many were also kept as souvenirs of the coming change, tucked into drawers by people who wanted a reminder of the first new coins. Those saved pieces are where the best surviving examples come from today.
How to recognize it
Christopher Ironside's reverse shows a crowned lion, its head turned to face the viewer, taken from the crest of England. NEW PENCE sits above it and a bold 10 below. Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a tiara is on the obverse, with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D 1968 around it. The coin is cupronickel of 75% copper and 25% nickel, 28.5 mm across and 11.31 g in weight, with a milled edge. Set one beside a florin and the size match is exact, which was the whole point of the design. The date is on the portrait side, not with the lion.
The other side carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used on UK coins from 1968 to 1984.
1968 10p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1968 10p ranks 38th lowest of 40 10p dates and varieties from 1968 to 2023. The next scarcer is the 2013 10p (320.2 million); the next more common is the 2014 10p (490.2 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1992 10p with 1.41 billion, about 4.2 times as many. The scarcest is the 2023 10p with 600,000, 560 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1968 output was about the same as 1969.
What to check on your 1968 10p
- Confirm the date. Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Try a magnet: cupronickel 10p coins like this 1968 coin do not stick, while the steel coins of later years do.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.
The large 10p stopped being legal tender in 1993, so a 1968 coin cannot be spent or banked today. Its value is what collectors will pay. With hundreds of millions made and many saved as first year keepsakes, a worn 1968 brings no more than a small premium. Uncirculated coins with full luster, a sharp mane and an unmarked crown are much harder to find and are the ones worth seeking out. Watch out for heavy scratching and dents from decades in pockets and tills.
The large crowned lion with NEW PENCE (1968 to 1981)
The 10p went into circulation on 23 April 1968 together with the 5p, nearly three years before Britain went decimal on 15 February 1971. It was built as a twin of the florin, the two shilling piece first struck in Victorian times. The new coin matched it exactly at 28.5 mm, 11.31 g and cupronickel, so a 10p could be spent as two shillings before Decimal Day and as ten new pence after it. Florins themselves stayed legal tender alongside the 10p until 1993, so the two shared tills for a quarter of a century.
Christopher Ironside's reverse shows a crowned lion with its head turned to face you, part of the crest of England. NEW PENCE runs above it and a large 10 below. The obverse carries Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen in a tiara with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date. The alloy is 75% copper and 25% nickel and the edge is milled. At more than 11 g it was a heavy coin even then. A pocketful of them was a real weight.
Demand swung wildly. The launch years of 1968 and 1969 each passed 300 million, but 1972 and 1978 were made only for sets and 1981 dropped to just 3,487,000, the lowest circulation figure of any large 10p. That date is the one to look for. Large 10ps stopped being legal tender in 1993, less than a year after the smaller coin arrived, so none can be spent today. They survive in jars, drawers and old collections, where the crown and mane of the lion are the first places to show wear. Bright, unworn coins of any date are far harder to find than worn ones.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1968 |
| Circulation mintage | 336,143,250 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 11.31 g |
| Diameter | 28.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Portrait | Machin |
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1968 10p rare?
No. The Royal Mint struck 336,143,250 dated 1968, more than any other large 10p. Worn examples are common and bring a small premium at most. A bright uncirculated coin is the version collectors actually look for.
Why is a 1968 10p the same size as a florin?
The 10p was designed to replace the florin, which was worth two shillings or ten new pence. Matching its size and weight let both coins circulate together through the changeover. Florins stayed legal tender until 1993, when the large 10p was withdrawn too.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.