2023 1p Coin
The 2023 1p is a 1p coin struck for circulation with 600,000 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2023
- Circulation mintage
- 600,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Copper-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 2023 1p worth?
At 600,000, the 2023 1p has a smaller run than most 1p coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full original red or bright color
- A coin from a sets-only year
- A recognized variety or genuine error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2023 1p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 1p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2023 1p coins were made?
- 600,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2023 1p made of?
- Copper-plated steel. It weighs 3.56 g and measures 20.32 mm.
- Is the 2023 1p still legal tender?
- Yes. The 1p is legal tender, though 1p and 2p coins together only have to be accepted for payments up to 20p.
The 2023 1p coin in context
The death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 meant new coins for King Charles III. In 2023 the Royal Mint unveiled a new series of everyday designs showing British wildlife and plants, created by its own design team. The penny shows a hazel dormouse, a small, shy woodland animal that spends much of the year asleep. The 2p shows a red squirrel. The theme reflects the King's long interest in nature and conservation.
The data records 600,000 dormouse pennies for circulation in 2023, plus 256,158 in proof and uncirculated sets. That is by far the smallest circulation figure for any decimal penny, a long way below the 30,000,000 struck in 2022. With hundreds of millions of Elizabeth II pennies still around, a dormouse penny is a pleasing find. Martin Jennings designed the King's portrait used on the new coins. The sculptor's portrait was already familiar from the larger denominations by the time the new reverses arrived. For now the dormouse penny sits at the end of a long line of decimal pennies stretching back to 1971.
How to recognize it
Martin Jennings's portrait shows the King facing left, the opposite way to his mother, following the custom that each new monarch faces the other direction. As is traditional on British coins, he is shown without a crown. The legend reads CHARLES III D G REX F D with the date. The reverse is the hazel dormouse, a complete change from the Royal Shield section that pennies had carried since 2008. Physically the coin follows the Elizabeth II pennies, made of copper-plated steel at 20.32 mm and 3.56 g with a plain edge, so it is magnetic. The dormouse makes this one of the most charming small coins Britain has produced.
The other side carries Martin Jennings' portrait of King Charles III, first used in 2022.
2023 1p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2023 1p is the lowest of 51 1p dates and varieties from 1971 to 2023. The next more common is the 2022 1p (30 million).
Compared with the dates around it, the 2023 output was 50 times fewer than 2022.
Over the 2020s the Mint produced 174.7 million pennies across 4 dates and varieties; the 2023 1p accounts for 0.3% of that.
What to check on your 2023 1p
- Confirm the date. Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Try a magnet: 2023 1p coins are copper-plated steel and stick to it. A 2023 coin that does not stick is worth a closer look.
- 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.
A dormouse penny from change is a find to keep. Its circulation figure of 600,000 is tiny next to every other penny and the first year of a new design always draws interest. Even so, most collectors will meet it first in Royal Mint sets, where another 256,158 were issued. Bright coins from change are the most satisfying way to own one. Expect worn coins to carry a small premium at most. Keep a bright example in a holder, because steel pennies mark and tarnish easily once handled.
Royal Shield and Charles III pennies (2008 to 2023)
In 2008 the Royal Mint replaced every Ironside reverse from 1p to 50p with designs by Matthew Dent, who won a public competition for the job. Each coin carries one section of the shield from the Royal Arms. Lay the six coins together in the right order and the whole shield appears. The penny shows its part of the shield with ONE PENNY and no numeral. Portcullis pennies were also struck with the 2008 date, so that year exists with both reverses.
Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait stayed until 2015, when Jody Clark's became the fifth portrait of the Queen on British coins. The penny remained magnetic copper-plated steel, 20.32 mm and 3.56 g. Then demand slumped. Pennies dated 2018 and 2019 were made only for collector sets. Production for change came back from 2020 to 2022 at much lower levels. Then 2023 brought a new penny with Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III and a hazel dormouse.
Shield pennies are everywhere, yet this period holds the most interesting modern dates. The 2008 portcullis penny, the sets-only 2018 and 2019 coins and the 2023 dormouse are the ones to look for, with the lower output of 2015 and 2020 to 2022 adding a little interest. Fewer people pay with coins than in 2008, so small mintages now leave fewer coins in change. Check the date, the reverse and the portrait on any penny from 2008 onward before it goes back in your purse.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 penny |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2023 |
| Circulation mintage | 600,000 |
| Composition | Copper-plated steel |
| Weight | 3.56 g |
| Diameter | 20.32 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Jennings |
Frequently asked questions
What animal is on the new penny?
The Charles III penny shows a hazel dormouse, part of a series of eight wildlife and plant designs. The 2p shows a red squirrel. Other values in the series include a puffin on the 20p and an Atlantic salmon on the 50p.
How many 2023 dormouse pennies were made?
The figure for circulation is 600,000, the lowest for any decimal penny. Another 256,158 were made for proof and uncirculated sets. That makes the dormouse penny far scarcer in change than any Elizabeth II penny struck for circulation.
Mintage figures: Penny (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.