Crowned Lion (NEW PENCE) 10p (1968 to 1981)

The large 10p stopped being legal tender in 1993, so a circulated NEW PENCE coin is worth only what a collector will pay, and most dates were struck in such large numbers that worn examples sell for modest sums. The date that stands out is 1981, the final year, which had by far the smallest circulation run. Beyond the date, condition drives price: a brilliant uncirculated coin with its original lustre is worth much more than a worn one.

With 1,768,538,250 struck for circulation, the Crowned Lion (NEW PENCE) 10p is the 29th rarest of the 30 ranked 10p designs and has the 185th lowest mintage of all 194 circulating UK designs. That puts it in the Common band, for mintages 10,000,000 or more.

The next rarer 10p is the Royal Shield 10p, with 1,668,141,996 struck, and the next more common is the Crowned Lion (small) 10p, with 2,478,163,170 struck.

Its lowest circulation mintage was in 1981, with 3,487,000 struck.

Size is the first clue: this 10p is much larger and heavier than the coin in use today, matching an old florin. Then read the reverse, where NEW PENCE above the crowned lion marks the 1968 to 1981 coins and TEN PENCE marks the later large lions. The date follows ELIZABETH II D G REG F D on the heads side. A 1972 or 1978 date means the coin came from a proof set. Obverse dies from 1978 onwards have fewer border beads than earlier ones.

Known varieties of the Crowned Lion (NEW PENCE) 10p, all listed among the UK error coins and varieties:

• Obverse bead count: Obverse dies of 1968 to 1977 have 151 border beads and those of 1978 to 1981 have 147; the reverse has 152 beads throughout.

The 10p was one of the first decimal coins to reach people's pockets. It arrived in 1968, ahead of Decimal Day in 1971, to take over from the florin, and because it was made the same size as the florin, the old two shilling coin carried on circulating beside it as a 10p. Christopher Ironside took the reverse from England's crest, showing its crowned lion passant guardant, which in plain terms is a walking lion wearing a crown and turning its head to face the viewer. NEW PENCE curves above the lion, the numeral 10 sits below it, and a ring of beads runs inside the rim. The obverse shows Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, wearing a tiara, with the date after the legend. The NEW PENCE wording lasted until 1981, after which the large lion 10p read TEN PENCE. The big coins were withdrawn in 1993, once the smaller 10p introduced in 1992 had taken their place.