Q 10p: Queuing
The Q 10p shows a line of adults and children queuing along the curve of a large letter Q. It is the Royal Mint's nod to the British habit of forming an orderly queue. It is one of the 26 A to Z 10p coins and one of the 31 10p designs struck since 1968.
Q 10p value
- Circulated
- typical £4.50, range £3 to £6
- Uncirculated
- typical £3, range £2.90 to £3.30
Worked out from 9 published prices (4 price guides, 4 sold-price reports and 1 dealer price), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Rarity rank 5 of 30 ranked 10p designs, rarest first
Rarity: Very rareThe Q 10p is valued by date and condition. The 2019 Q had the smaller circulation run of its two dates and sells higher. The tiny figures lose their outlines quickly once a coin has been in circulation, so one with clear figures and a bright surface is worth more. Coins still in their Royal Mint cards or pouches sell for no more than a sharp coin from change.
Q 10p mintage and rarity
With 303,000 struck for circulation, the Q 10p (Queuing) is the fifth rarest of the 30 ranked 10p designs and has the seventh 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 R 10p (Robin), with 284,000 struck, and the next more common is the A 10p (Angel of the North), with 304,000 struck.
Its lowest circulation mintage was in 2019, with 83,000 struck.
| Year | Circulation mintage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 220,000 | Uncirculated version on sale from 1 March 2018. |
| 2019 | 83,000 | Same reverse with the 2019 date on the obverse; uncirculated version on sale from 26 February 2019. |
How to spot a Q 10p
The Q 10p shows a row of small figures, adults and children, standing along the bottom of a large Q, some holding hands. The letter and the people are the whole design, with no value shown. For the year, check the Queen's side: 2018 or 2019 comes straight after TEN PENCE. Whichever the year, the queue is drawn identically.
Q 10p design
Q for Queuing is the Royal Mint's gentle joke about British manners in its Quintessentially British A to Z of 2018. The letter's verse pairs forming a queue with apologising for no reason as two habits the British share. The Royal Mint dates queuing as an accepted custom to the early 1800s and says Britain's reputation for it grew during the industrial revolution, when people crowded into towns and cities and needed a way of keeping order. Today an orderly line forms at shops, at taxi ranks and at the local chip shop alike. The design places a row of small figures, adults and children, some holding hands, along the lower curve of a large frosted Q, with the tallest figure standing at the head of the line on the right, where the tail of the letter sweeps out. There is no other decoration. The Royal Mint Team is credited with the design.
It was one of the 26 coins in the A to Z set issued in 2018.
Q 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: queuing
- 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
Q 10p questions
What does the Q on the 10p stand for?
Queuing. The Q 10p shows a line of people queuing along the letter, the Royal Mint's nod to the British habit of waiting patiently in line.
Is the Q 10p rare?
Yes, compared with ordinary 10ps. The Q design entered circulation only with 2018 and 2019 dates, and far fewer coins carry the 2019 date.