2008 Old Reverse 5p Coin
The 2008 Old Reverse 5p is a 5p coin struck for circulation with 92.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2008
- Circulation mintage
- 92,880,000
- 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 2008 Old Reverse 5p worth?
92.9 million were made, so the 2008 Old Reverse 5p is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
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 2008 Old Reverse 5p rare?
- No. 92.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2008 Old Reverse 5p coins were made?
- 92,880,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2008 Old Reverse 5p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 3.25 g and measures 18 mm.
- Is the 2008 Old Reverse 5p still legal tender?
- Yes. The current-size 5p is legal tender, for payments of up to 5 pounds in 5p and 10p coins.
The 2008 5p coin in context
2008 was the year the 5p changed its reverse for the first time in forty years. Before the switch, though, the Royal Mint struck one last batch with Christopher Ironside's crowned thistle. These coins carry the 2008 date and look just like a 2007 coin, with Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait on the obverse. They kept banks supplied while the new shield designs were being introduced. Once those took over, the thistle was retired for good after a run that began with the very first 5ps of April 1968 and had survived a change of size and three portraits of the Queen.
The thistle total for 2008 was 92,880,000. That is a big number in everyday terms, but it is the lowest circulation figure of the small thistle 5p, below even the 93,602,000 of 1994. In the same year the Mint struck 165,172,000 of the new shield 5p, so the old design was outnumbered almost two to one by its replacement. Most of the thistle coins went straight into change and were spent without a second thought. Only later did collectors start sorting their 2008 5ps by reverse and realize the old design was the one to keep.
How to recognize it
This is the last appearance of Ironside's reverse: a thistle under a royal crown, the badge of Scotland, with FIVE PENCE and the numeral 5. The obverse has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen in a tiara, signed IRB, with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date 2008. The coin is the small cupronickel 5p, 18 mm and 3.25 g with a milled edge. It is not magnetic, which helps sort it from the later steel coins, though the easiest check is simply whether you see a thistle or a piece of shield on the back. The thistle side carries no date of its own.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2008 Old Reverse 5p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2008 Old Reverse 5p ranks 11th lowest of 46 5p dates and varieties from 1968 to 2023. The next scarcer is the 2019 5p (92.8 million); the next more common is the 1994 5p (93.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1990 5p with 1.63 billion, about 18 times as many. The scarcest is the 1977 5p with 24.3 million, 3.8 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2008 output was 2.7 times fewer than 2007 and 1.4 times fewer than 2009. Other 2008 5p coins: 2008 Shield Reverse 5p (165.2 million).
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 2.74 billion 5p coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 2008 Old Reverse 5p accounts for 3.4% of that.
What to check on your 2008 Old Reverse 5p
- Confirm the date and the variety (old reverse). Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Try a magnet: cupronickel 5p coins like this 2008 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.
Of all the small thistle dates, this is the one to keep. It is not rare in any strict sense and circulated coins are still face value. Even so, the mix of final year and lowest mintage gives it more appeal than any other date from 1990 to 2007. Pull every thistle 5p from your change and check the date; a 2008 is a pleasing find. Uncirculated examples are the best way to show the end of the old design. Coins with a clean crown and sharp thistle head are worth the wait.
The smaller thistle five pence (1990 to 2008)
By the late 1980s the big 5p felt clumsy. Years of inflation had shrunk what five pence could buy, yet the coin was still as heavy as an old shilling. The Royal Mint made it smaller in June 1990, cutting it to 18 mm and 3.25 g while keeping the same cupronickel alloy and milled edge. The design was simply reduced to fit. Replacing every 5p in the country took an enormous number of coins: 1,634,976,005 were struck dated 1990, the biggest 5p figure ever. The large 5p and the last of the shillings ceased to be legal tender at the end of that year.
Ironside's crowned thistle carried on with FIVE PENCE and the numeral 5. Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen in the State Diadem, signed RDM, ran until 1997. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait followed in 1998, showing an older Queen in a tiara with IRB beneath the neck. After the giant first years demand settled down. Only 1993 was struck for sets alone. From 1995 to 2007 output never fell below 183 million in a year and it often passed 300 million, as shops and banks kept asking for fresh coins to keep up with everyday small change.
These are the coins most people over thirty still have in a pot somewhere. Nearly every date is common and worth face value in worn condition. The date that stands apart is the last one. In 2008 the Royal Mint struck 92,880,000 thistle 5ps before the new shield designs took over, the lowest circulation figure of the whole small thistle run. Uncirculated examples of any date come from the annual sets, which are also the only source for 1993. When judging condition, look at the thistle head and the arches of the crown, which flatten quickly at this small size.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2008 |
| Circulation mintage | 92,880,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 3.25 g |
| Diameter | 18 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2008 5p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Shield Reverse 5p Coin | 165,172,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if a 2008 5p has the old design?
Turn it over. The old design shows a crowned thistle with the numeral 5 and the words FIVE PENCE. The new design shows part of a heraldic shield with FIVE PENCE and no numeral. Both carry the 2008 date on the portrait side.
Which 2008 5p is scarcer?
The thistle coin. The Royal Mint struck 92,880,000 with the old reverse against 165,172,000 with the shield, so the old design is the less common of the two. Neither counts as rare in worn condition, though the thistle is the better find.
Mintage figures: Five pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.