When will I find an A to Z 10p in my change?

The Royal Mint announced Britain’s new A to Z of Britain 10p coins to the public in March this year and since then they have created quite a stir in the world of coin collecting…

Thousands of collectors flocked to buy them, crashing the Mint’s website and emptying stocks at the Royal Mint Experience.

At the same time Change Checkers have been asking the question “when will I find an A to Z 10p in my change?”

So let’s take a proper look at the situation.

The Royal Mint does not actually control coins going into circulation.

I know this might sound a little hard to believe but The Royal Mint does not actually have any real control over how and when coins go into circulation. This is essentially managed between HM Treasury and the large cash distribution services run by the Post Office and some banks, as well as private operators. Between them they handle, sort and distribute the billions of coins in circulation, even swapping stocks between themselves.

It’s only when they are short of a particular denomination that they call off stocks from The Royal Mint, who act as the manufacturer of the coin on behalf of the Treasury.

In short, The Royal Mint can only push the new 10p coins into circulation as and when there is demand from these cash distribution centres.

Early release of 2.6 million coins

All circulation designs do eventually make their way into circulation and in time into our pockets. However, it has been the case since commemorative 50p coins started to issue more regularly from the 1990s that, for the reasons explained above, it can be some months until cash centres call off new supplies. Indeed, it is not that unusual that the coins do not enter circulation until the following year.

With this in mind, The Royal Mint worked closely with the cash handling industry to introduce a small quantity of 10ps into circulation which were issued through the Post Office network.

Don’t forget that 2.6 million coins is an initial early release – it is not the total quantity of coins that will ever circulate at face value. The expectation is that more 10p coins will enter circulation when required by the cash centres.

In addition, The Royal Mint also has plans for limited releases of coins at face value in appropriate locations across the UK during the rest of the year. Don’t worry – we’ll keep you up to date with all the news.

Additional 2.6 coins released

In October 2018, The Royal Mint and HM Treasury confirmed that a further 2.6 million A-Z 10p coins would enter circulation and this time the coins would be distributed through more normal networks including banks and cash distribution centres.

This will be welcome news to collectors who have been struggling to lay their hands on the new 10ps since the initial release in March. We’re hopeful that additional volumes will continue to be struck in line with UK requirements and of course the massive collector demand.

So how can I collect my 10p coins for face value?

Well first off, it’s fair to say you’ll probably need a degree of patience. Don’t forget commemorative coins do not normally enter circulation particularly quickly and there’s no doubt that the first tranche of coins have been snapped up extra fast by keen collectors (and possibly even some Post Office staff).

Royal Mint estimates from 2016 suggest that there are 1.7 billion 10p coins in circulation. The expected annual demand for 10p coins is approximately 60 million per annum.

It’s also clear that the demand for coins amongst the cash centres is currently relatively low. It’s believed that many people cashed in additional denominations at the same time as their old £1 coins, helping to increase stocks, as well as the increased use of cashless payments having an impact.

So, it’s practically impossible to say how many 10p coins will enter circulation this year. However, whilst we almost certainly won’t see distribution in the hundreds of millions, Change Checkers should remain hopeful of more opportunities to collect the A to Z of Britain 10p coins straight from their change throughout this year and maybe even into next.

Conclusion

Yes, finding an A to Z 10p in your change is a pretty tough ask at the moment but the situation will improve over time.

Will they be rare? Certainly their level of popularity with collectors has been unprecedented and so it seems likely they’ll always be a tough coin to find and, at 10p each, I’ll definitely be putting any I find aside!


Get ahead of the crowd by owning the complete A-Z ‘Early Strike’ 10p Set TODAY!

Click here to own all 26 10p coins >>

We’re giving away 500 Early Strike A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins!

Have you joined the hunt for the A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins?

Fantastic news! We’re helping Change Checkers to get their hands on these highly collectable coins by running an incredible prize give away!

Enter now by registering for a free Change Checker account.

We’re giving away 500 Early Strike A-z of Great Britain 10p coins. 

10 lucky Change Checkers will receive the complete set of 26 ‘Early Strike’ A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins, as well as the official collector’s pack, including Change Checker Presentation Album and pages and an additional exclusive Collector’s Medal to complete your collection.

But we haven’t stopped there! There are also 240 individual coins in a selection of A-Z designs, ready to give away to runners up – the perfect way to kick start your collection!

Since their release in March, the 26 coins designed to represent famous British icons have had people up and down the country checking their change to find every design from A-Z.

However, due to their popularity, many Change Checkers have claimed to be struggling to come across them. If you think back to the popularity of the Olympic 50ps in 2012, you’ll understand how collectable these coins can be and why they are so highly sought after.

This is your chance to get ahead of the crowd and secure your complete set in ‘Early Strike’ Brilliant Uncirculated condition, taken from the first production coins struck by the Mint whilst the dies are in their very best condition.

To be entered into the Change Checker A-Z 10p give away, simply register for a FREE account with us.

If you’re already a registered Change Checker, then we’ll automatically include you in the draw for the chance to win the highly sought after complete set of 26 ‘Early Strike’ A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins or one of 240 individual A-Z 10p coins.

Full Terms and Conditions can be found below.

 

We’ll be selecting the lucky winners on Friday 27th April. Good luck!

 


Terms & Conditions

1. All registered members of changechecker.org at midnight on 26th April 2018 will be automatically entered into the prize draw. No purchase is necessary to register.
2. The draw will take place on 27th April 2018 and the winner will be notified on that day by email to their registered changechecker.org email address.
3. 10 winners will receive the complete set of 26 ‘Early Strike’ A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins, as well as the official collector pack. 240 runners up will receive one A-Z 10p coin. There is no cash alternative.
4. Participants agree to meet reasonable requests to assist publicity.
5. The prize draw is promoted by The Westminster Collection / Change Checker, trading divisions of 288 Group Ltd.
6. Employees of 288 Group and their families are not eligible to enter.

Live A-Z of Great Britain 10p Lucky Dip!

We’re hosting our third Change Checker Live Coin Swap on Saturday 21st April at Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester from 9am – 6pm.

Excitingly, this event will be a little different from our previous two.

Join us in Leicester where you’ll be able to swap ANY 10p coin for the chance to have a go on our ‘lucky dip’ of A-Z 10p coins. We’ll have plenty of all 26 coin designs with us so you’re in with a chance of picking any coin, from A-Z!

PLUS you’ll receive a voucher for 50% off the Collector’s Pack, so you’ll have space to add the rest of the coins when you find them.

 

26 A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins. Which will you pick from the lucky dip?

 

Highcross Shopping Centre

Highcross is one of the premier shopping centres in Leicester with all the amenities for a great day out. 

We’ll be located at Site 1 in the East Square, opposite Debenhams, ToysRus and Game.

You’ll find us at Site 1 in the East Square, opposite Debenhams.

 

For those travelling by car, there are two onsite car parks with 3,000 combined spaces.

If travelling by train, Highcross is a 10 minute walk from the Station and a park and ride service operates between 7am and 7pm.

 

Highcross Leicester, Leicester, LE1 4AN

 

The full address is: Highcross Leicester, 5 Shires Lane, Leicester, LE1 4AN.

 

Can I swap more than one coin?

Such is the popularity of our Live Coin Swaps and to ensure that it is fair for everybody, we’ll be limiting the number of swaps to strictly 1 coin per person.

 

Can I choose which A-Z of Great Britain 10p I swap?

It’s a lucky dip, so the coin you pick will be the coin you take away with you. Due to how popular we expect the event to be, I’m afraid we will be unable to offer specific A-Z 10p coin designs.

 

Will you be doing any more Live Coin Swaps?

That’s the plan!

We will be holding more Live Coin Swaps in the future and the plan is to visit a different area of the country each time, giving as many people as possible the opportunity to attend.

 

Can I bring other coins in my collection for you to take a look at?

You are very welcome to bring along other coins in your collection and if there is time we’d be happy to take a look at them for you. We expect the event to be very busy so we apologise in advance if you have a short wait.

 

We look forward to seeing you there!