1988 10p Coin

Quick answers

Is the 1988 10p rare?

It is scarcer than most 10p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.

How many 1988 10p coins were made?

None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.

What is the 1988 10p made of?

Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 11.31 g and measures 28.5 mm.

Is the 1988 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.

How to recognize it

The other side carries Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1985 to 1997.

The 1988 10p is round, 28.5 mm across and cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel).

1988 10p by the numbers

No 1988 10p coins were struck for circulation, so none were paid out by banks.

What to check on your 1988 10p

• Confirm the date. 1988 10p coins came only from collector sets, so a genuine one is often in very good condition.
• Try a magnet: cupronickel 10p coins like this 1988 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 TEN PENCE coin of the sets-only years (1982 to 1991)

In 1982 the Royal Mint dropped the word NEW from every decimal coin, so the 10p began to read TEN PENCE. Hardly anyone noticed at the time, for a simple reason: no 10ps at all were issued for circulation from 1982 to 1991. Ten straight years passed with the coin struck only for the annual proof and uncirculated sets. Banks were still well supplied from the big runs of the 1970s. The new 20p, launched in 1982, also took over part of the 10p's work, since one coin could now do the job of two.

The design changed in two ways during these years. The reverse kept Ironside's crowned lion but swapped NEW PENCE for TEN PENCE, with the large 10 still in place. On the obverse Arnold Machin's portrait ran until 1984. Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen in the George IV State Diadem, signed RDM, followed in 1985. The coin was otherwise unchanged at 28.5 mm and 11.31 g in milled cupronickel. Because none of these dates were issued to banks, every one of them is a collector coin first.

For a date collector this decade is the hardest stretch of the 10p. Loose coins dated 1982 to 1991 are uncommon, since any found in change must have been taken from a set and spent. That also means every large 10p reading TEN PENCE is a sets coin at heart, which makes one in an old jar a better find than almost any NEW PENCE date. The simplest route is to buy the year sets, which keep the coins in the sharp condition collectors prefer. If you do spot a large TEN PENCE coin loose, check it for scratches and keep it.

Mintage chart

Specifications