New 10p coin enters circulation - will you spot one?

Something new might appear in your change when you pay in cash from now on: a 10p coin featuring the portrait of King Charles and the world's largest grouse.

Sufficient demand for the coins mean newly-minted 10p pieces are entering circulation for the first time for about four years, this time with a new design.

The Royal Mint says shoppers and collectors should discover the coins, which were minted and dated in 2023 and 2026, across the country.

The reverse side of the coin depicts an image of the capercaillie which is found in a small part of Scotland and threatened with extinction.

The redesigned suite of coins to celebrate the King's love of the natural world were unveiled in October 2023 by The Royal Mint.

The tails side of every newly-minted coin from the 1p to the £2 now features the country's flora and fauna - from bees to an oak tree leaf.

Coins in circulation in the UK carrying the portrait of King Charles have so far been limited to the 5p, 50p and £1.

Old coins with the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II can still be used, so the new coins are only struck in response to demand.

That is why, with 1.4 billion 10p coins in circulation, there has been no need for the new 10p to be released until now by The Royal Mint.

Now. 600,000 of these coins, dated 2023, and 6.5 million dated 2026 have been released to banks and post offices nationwide.

However, King Charles III coins still only represent about 1% of the 24.1 billion coins in circulation across the UK, making any new ones highly sought after by seasoned numismatists and new coin collectors.

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Red alert for capercaillie

The capercaillie design on the tails side of the coin is based on an illustration by the artist Mike Langman who previously worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). His illustrations are seen across the charity's nature reserves.

The RSPB said that the UK capercaillie population has declined so rapidly that it is at risk of extinction for the second time and is on the UK conservation red list.

"It's a stark reminder that more of these coins will enter circulation than there are capercaillies left in the wild," said Rebecca Morgan, director at The Royal Mint, based at Llantrisant, South Wales.

"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."

Bank of England banknotes will soon follow coins in using images of wildlife on the currency.

They will replace historical characters, such as Sir Winston Churchill, on the next series of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.

Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast in a public vote, from a shortlist of 18 animals, birds and insects.

Those votes, alongside security issues, are now being considered by the bank, with its governor, Andrew Bailey, expected to make the final decision in the autumn.

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