O 10p: Oak Tree
The O 10p shows a sprig of oak leaves and an acorn curling across a large letter O, standing for the English oak tree. It is part of the Royal Mint's 2018 A to Z of Britain, and collectors check its date because the 2019 coin is scarcer. It is one of the 26 A to Z 10p coins and one of the 31 10p designs struck since 1968.
O 10p value
- Circulated
- typical £3.50, range £2.50 to £3.80
- Uncirculated
- typical £4.20, range £3 to £4.20
Worked out from 10 published prices (4 price guides, 4 sold-price reports and 2 dealer prices), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Rarity rank 6 of 30 ranked 10p designs, rarest first (joint)
Rarity: Very rareEven a worn O 10p is worth more than its face value, and an uncirculated one from a Royal Mint pack is worth more still. The raised leaves and acorn are the first parts to wear, and the frosted texture on the letter fades with handling, so a coin that keeps both is worth more. Check the year too: 2019 O 10ps are less common than 2018 ones and fetch higher prices.
O 10p mintage and rarity
With 304,000 struck for circulation, the O 10p (Oak Tree) is the joint sixth rarest of the 30 ranked 10p designs and has the joint eighth lowest mintage of all 194 circulating UK designs. That puts it in the Very rare band, for mintages under 500,000.
The next rarer 10p is the Q 10p (Queuing), with 303,000 struck, and the next more common is the Capercaillie 10p, with 7,100,000 struck.
Its lowest circulation mintage was in 2019, with 84,000 struck.
| Year | Circulation mintage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 220,000 | Uncirculated version on sale from 1 March 2018. |
| 2019 | 84,000 | Same reverse with the 2019 date on the obverse; uncirculated version on sale from 26 February 2019. |
How to spot an O 10p
A frosted O with an oak sprig growing across it, lobed leaves and an acorn in the middle, identifies the O 10p. The letter is so large that it reaches nearly to the rim. You will not find the value or date among the leaves; they sit on the heads side, where TEN PENCE is followed by 2018 or 2019. The same oak design was used for both dates, on a coin the size and weight of any 10p.
O 10p design
The oak tree takes O in the Royal Mint's 2018 alphabet, and the letter's verse borrows the old saying that mighty oaks grow from tiny acorns. The Royal Mint presents the oak as a sign of strength and endurance. England and Wales both count it as their national tree, County Londonderry uses it as an emblem, and Scotch whisky is kept in oak barrels. English oak is the commonest tree species in the UK, most plentiful in woods across the south and centre of Britain, and many of the country's oldest trees are oaks standing on village greens and in parks. On the coin a single sprig of oak grows across the face of a large O with a frosted texture, its wavy-edged leaves curling around an acorn near the centre. The letter fills almost the whole field. The Royal Mint lists its designer simply as The Royal Mint Team.
It was one of the 26 coins in the A to Z set issued in 2018.
O 10p specifications
- Denomination
- 10p
- Years
- 2018 and 2019
- Type
- Commemorative
- Issue
- Issued for circulation
- Series
- A to Z
- Occasion
- The Royal Mint's Great British Coin Hunt, a Quintessentially British A to Z: the English oak tree
- Designer
- The Royal Mint Team
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
- Weight
- 6.5 g
- Diameter
- 24.5 mm
- Shape
- Round
- Edge
- Milled
- Obverse
- Elizabeth II, fifth portrait by Jody Clark
O 10p questions
What does the O 10p represent?
The English oak tree. The design shows a sprig of oak leaves with an acorn laid over a large letter O, a symbol the Royal Mint links with strength and endurance.
How can I tell if my O 10p is 2018 or 2019?
Check the Queen's side of the coin, where the year is struck straight after TEN PENCE. Nothing on the oak side changes between the two dates.