King Charles III 10p Coins Enter Circulation Amid Cash Decline
New currency features capercaillie bird as physical payments dwindle to 3.9 billion in 2025.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
More than 7 million 10p coins bearing King Charles III's portrait are now in circulation.
Rebecca Morgan declared this "a landmark moment for the nation’s coinage, as people begin finding the very first 10p coins bearing the King’s portrait in their change." The Royal Mint confirmed this marks the first instance of the 10p denomination entering circulation with Charles's portrait.
The capercaillie design reportedly draws from an illustration by artist Mike Langman, who previously worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Morgan stated, "We hope that by putting this extraordinary bird into millions of pockets and purses, we can spark a nationwide conversation about a species at real risk of vanishing from Britain forever."
We hope that by putting this extraordinary bird into millions of pockets and purses, we can spark a nationwide conversation about a species at real risk of vanishing from Britain forever.
These new 10p coins are expected to become available through post offices and bank branches across the country. The Royal Mint claims these new coins will be highly sought after by both shoppers and collectors.
Cash use continues its sharp decline, with payments falling to 3.9 billion in 2025, a reduction from 4.3 billion the previous year. UK Finance projects that by 2035, cash use will account for only 4% of all payments made in the UK, totalling around two billion transactions.
Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, is expected to make the final decision on new banknote designs later in the autumn.