United Kingdom | |
Value | £0.05 |
---|---|
Mass | (1968–1990) 5.65 g (1990–present) 3.25 g |
Diameter | (1968–1990) 23.59 mm (1990–present) 18.00 mm |
Thickness | (Cupro-nickel) 1.7 mm (Steel) 1.89 mm |
Edge | Milled |
Composition | Cupronickel (1968–2010) Nickel-plated steel (2011–) |
Years of minting | 1968–present |
Obverse | |
Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
Designer | Jody Clark |
Design date | 2015 |
Reverse | |
Design | Segment of the Royal Shield |
Designer | Matthew Dent |
Design date | 2008 |
The British decimal five pence coin (often shortened to 5p in writing and speech) is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 5⁄100 of a pound. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction on 23 April 1968, replacing the shilling in preparation for decimalisation in 1971. [1] It remained the same size as the one shilling coin, which also remained legal tender, until a smaller version was introduced in June 1990 with the older coins being withdrawn on 31 December 1990. [2] Four different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the latest design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008.
5p coins are legal tender up to the sum of £5 when offered in repayment of a debt; however, the coin's legal tender status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions. [3]
The five pence coin was originally minted from cupro-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni), but since 2011 [4] it has been minted in nickel-plated steel due to the increasing price of metal. From January 2013, the Royal Mint began a programme to gradually remove the previous cupro-nickel coins from circulation with replacement by the nickel-plated steel versions. [5]
As of March 2014, an estimated 3,847 million 5p coins were in circulation with an estimated face value of £192.370 million. [6]
The original reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, and used from 1968 to 2008, is a crowned thistle (formally, The Badge of Scotland, a thistle royally crowned), with the numeral "5" below the thistle, and either NEW PENCE (1968–1981) or FIVE PENCE (1982–2008) above the thistle.
To date, three different obverses have been used. In all cases, the inscription is ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. 2013, [7] where 2013 is replaced by the year of minting. In the original design, both sides of the coin are encircled by dots, a common feature on coins, known as beading.
As with all new decimal currency, until 1984 the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin appeared on the obverse, [8] in which the Queen wears the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara.
Between 1985 and 1997, the portrait by Raphael Maklouf was used, [8] in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem.
On 27 June 1990 a reduced size version of the five pence coin was introduced. The older larger coins were withdrawn on 31 December 1990. The design remained unchanged.
From 1998 to 2015, the portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley was used, [8] again featuring the tiara, with a signature-mark IRB below the portrait.
As of June 2015, coins bearing the portrait by Jody Clark have been seen in circulation.
In August 2005 the Royal Mint launched a competition to find new reverse designs for all circulating coins apart from the £2 coin. [9] The winner, announced in April 2008, was Matthew Dent, whose designs were gradually introduced into the circulating British coinage from mid-2008. [10] The designs for the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins depict sections of the Royal Shield that form the whole shield when placed together. The shield in its entirety was featured on the now-obsolete round £1 coin. The 5p coin depicts the centre of the Royal shield, showing the meeting point of the four quarters. The coin's obverse remains largely unchanged, but the beading (the ring of dots around the coin's circumference), which no longer features on the coin's reverse, has also been removed from the obverse.
In October 2023 the King Charles III five-pence coin was presented; the coin features an oak leaf with acorns. [11]
Year | Number minted | Composition | Diameter (mm) | Portrait | Reverse |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | 98,868,250 | Cupro-nickel | 23.59 | Machin | Ironside |
1969 | 120,270,000 | ||||
1970 | 225,948,525 | ||||
1971 | 81,783,475 | ||||
1972 | 0 | ||||
1973 | 0 | ||||
1974 | 0 | ||||
1975 | 141,539,000 | ||||
1976 | 0 | ||||
1977 | 24,308,000 | ||||
1978 | 61,094,000 | ||||
1979 | 155,456,000 | ||||
1980 | 220,566,000 | ||||
1981 | 0 | ||||
1982 | 0 | ||||
1983 | 0 | ||||
1984 | 0 | ||||
1985 | 0 | Maklouf | |||
1986 | 0 | ||||
1987 | 48,220,000 | ||||
1988 | 120,744,610 | ||||
1989 | 101,406,000 | ||||
1990 | 1,634,976,005 | 18.00 | |||
1991 | 724,979,000 | ||||
1992 | 453,173,500 | ||||
1993 | 0 | ||||
1994 | 93,602,000 | ||||
1995 | 183,384,000 | ||||
1996 | 302,902,000 | ||||
1997 | 236,596,000 | ||||
1998 | 217,376,000 | Rank-Broadley | |||
1999 | 195,490,000 | ||||
2000 | 388,512,000 | ||||
2001 | 337,930,000 | ||||
2002 | 219,258,000 | ||||
2003 | 333,230,000 | ||||
2004 | 271,810,000 | ||||
2005 | 236,212,000 | ||||
2006 | 317,697,000 | ||||
2007 | 246,720,000 | ||||
2008 | 92,880,000 | ||||
165,172,000 | Dent | ||||
2009 | 132,960,300 | ||||
2010 | 396,245,500 | ||||
2011 | 50,400,000 | Nickel-plated steel | |||
2012 | 339,802,350 | ||||
2013 | 378,800,750 | ||||
2014 | 885,004,520 | ||||
2015 | 163,000,000 | ||||
536,600,000 | Clark | ||||
2016 | 305,740,000 | ||||
2017 | 220,515,000 | ||||
2018 | 0 | ||||
2019 | 92,800,000 | ||||
2020 | 49,200,000 | ||||
2021 | 28,000,000 | ||||
2022 | 42,800,000 |
Mint Sets have been produced since 1982; where mintages on or after that date indicate 'none', there are examples contained within those sets.
The standard circulating coinage of the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories is denominated in pennies and pounds sterling, and ranges in value from one penny sterling to two pounds. Since decimalisation, on 15 February 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 (new) pence. Before decimalisation, twelve pence made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a pound.
The British decimal twenty pence coin is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄5 of a pound. Like the 50p coin, it is an equilateral curve heptagon. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction on 9 June 1982. Four different portraits of the Queen have been used; the latest design by Jody Clark was introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008.
The British decimal fifty pence coin is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄2 of one pound. Its obverse features the profile of the current Monarch since the coin's introduction in 1969. As of October 2022, five different royal portraits have been used.
The British decimal ten pence coin is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄10 of a pound. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction in 1968, to replace the florin coin in preparation for decimalisation in 1971. It remained the same size as the florin coin until a smaller version was introduced 30 September 1992, with the older coins being withdrawn on 30 June 1993. Four different portraits of the Queen have been used on the coin; the latest design by Jody Clark was introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008.
The British decimal one penny (1p) coin is a unit of currency and denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄100 of one pound. Its obverse featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction on 15 February 1971, the day British currency was decimalised until her death on 8 September 2022. A new portrait featuring King Charles III was introduced on 30 September 2022, designed by Martin Jennings. Four different portraits of the Queen were used on the obverse; the last design by Jody Clark was introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, designed by Matthew Dent, features a segment of the Royal Shield and was introduced in 2008. The penny is the lowest value coin ever to circulate in the United Kingdom.
The British decimal two pence coin is a denomination of sterling coinage equalling 2⁄100 of a pound. Since the coin's introduction on 15 February 1971, the year British currency was decimalised, its obverse has featured four profiles of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2008 the design on its reverse changed from the original depiction of a plume of ostrich feathers with a coronet to a segment of the Royal Shield.
The British decimal halfpenny coin was a denomination of sterling coinage introduced in February 1971, at the time of decimalisation, and was worth 1⁄200 of one pound. It was ignored in banking transactions, which were carried out in units of 1p.
The British two pound coin (£2) is a denomination of sterling coinage. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction. Three different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the current design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The reverse design features Britannia.
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The shilling (1s) coin was a subdivision of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth 1⁄20 of a pound. Worth 12d or half of a Florin.
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Christopher Ironside OBE, FRBS was an English painter and coin designer, particularly known for the reverse sides of the new British coins issued on decimalisation in 1971.
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