New 10p coins enter circulation
Shoppers and collectors across the UK may start finding something new in their change: 10p coins featuring the portrait of King Charles III and a capercaillie. The Royal Mint has released 600,000 coins dated 2023 and 6.5 million dated 2026 to banks and post offices nationwide, marking the first time in about four years that new 10p pieces have entered circulation.
The reverse side of the coin depicts the capercaillie, a bird found in a small part of Scotland and threatened with extinction, as reported by BBC News. The design is based on an illustration by artist Mike Langman, who previously worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The 10p is the fourth denomination in the King's redesigned coinage to enter circulation, following the 5p, 50p, and £1 coins. The full suite of redesigned coins, celebrating the King's love of the natural world, was unveiled by the Royal Mint in October 2023. Each newly-minted coin from the 1p to the £2 now features a different flora or fauna on its tails side, from bees to an oak tree leaf.
Conservation message
The capercaillie design carries a conservation message. The RSPB has said 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. Rebecca Morgan, director at the Royal Mint, was quoted as saying: "It's a stark reminder that more of these coins will enter circulation than there are capercaillies left in the wild."
The Royal Mint has said the new coins are being released due to increased demand for the 10p denomination. Old coins bearing the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender, so new coins are only struck in response to demand. With 1.4 billion 10p coins in circulation, there had been no need to release a new design until now.
Rarity and collecting
Despite the release, King Charles III coins still represent only about 1% of the 24.1 billion coins in circulation across the UK, making the new 10p pieces highly sought after by seasoned numismatists and new coin collectors, according to BBC News.
Morgan described the release as "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."
Cash use in decline
The release comes amid a broader decline in cash usage in the UK. Cash use fell to 3.9 billion payments in 2025, down from 4.3 billion the previous year, according to UK Finance figures reported by BBC News. Cash represented 8% of payments in 2025, falling from 9% in 2024 and 45% in 2015. Around 1.4 million UK adults mainly use cash for their day-to-day spending, while 19 million use cash once a month or less frequently.
Projections suggest cash will account for just 4% of UK payments by 2035, with around two billion transactions, according to UK Finance.
Looking ahead, Bank of England notes will soon feature images of wildlife, according to the BBC report, extending the nature-themed design trend beyond coins.