Z 10p: Zebra Crossing
The Z 10p closes The Royal Mint's A to Z of Britain with a large letter Z on a zebra crossing. Its 2019 date is one of the lowest-mintage 10ps ever issued, so the date is the first thing to check on a zebra crossing 10p. It is one of the 26 A to Z 10p coins and one of the 31 10p designs struck since 1968.
Z 10p value
- Circulated
- typical £3.30, range £2.10 to £6
- Uncirculated
- typical £6, range £3.80 to £8
Worked out from 16 published prices (6 price guides, 6 dealer prices and 4 sold-price reports), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Rarity rank 1 of 30 ranked 10p designs, rarest first (joint)
Rarity: Very rareA zebra crossing 10p is valued mainly by its date. A 2019 coin comes from one of the smallest 10p circulation runs, and it sells for noticeably more than the 2018, which is a standard A to Z issue. Condition comes next: clear stripes and a sharp Z are worth paying for, while heavy wear pulls the price down. Uncirculated coins in Royal Mint pouches and cards sell above circulated coins of the same date.
Z 10p mintage and rarity
With 283,000 struck for circulation, the Z 10p (Zebra Crossing) is the joint rarest of the 30 ranked 10p designs and has the joint third lowest mintage of all 194 circulating UK designs. That puts it in the Very rare band, for mintages under 500,000.
No 10p design has a lower circulation mintage. The next more common is the R 10p (Robin), with 284,000 struck.
Its lowest circulation mintage was in 2019, with 63,000 struck.
| Year | Circulation mintage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 220,000 | Uncirculated version on sale from 1 March 2018. |
| 2019 | 63,000 | Same reverse with the 2019 date on the obverse; uncirculated version on sale from 26 February 2019. |
How to spot a Z 10p
The Z stands on the stripes of a zebra crossing, which run towards you in perspective beneath a textured half-circle, and the letter is the only lettering on the reverse. The date, 2018 or 2019, follows TEN PENCE on the heads side, and it is the 2019 date that collectors look for. The reverse is the same for both years, so a Z can only be dated by turning it over.
Z 10p design
The zebra crossing is the last letter of the Quintessentially British A to Z, the alphabet of 10p reverses made for the Great British Coin Hunt. The black and white bands painted across the road, which recall a zebra's coat and gave the crossing its name, were first tried on British roads in 1949, and the name is credited to James Callaghan, then parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport. On the coin, a large capital Z stands on the stripes of a crossing that run towards the viewer in perspective, with a textured half-circle behind the letter. The design is credited to The Royal Mint Team. There is no value or date on the reverse; both are on the obverse with Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen. The Z was struck for circulation in 2018 and 2019, and the 2019 coin shares the smallest circulation run of any 10p with the 2019 W and Y.
It was one of the 26 coins in the A to Z set issued in 2018.
Z 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 zebra crossing
- 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
Z 10p questions
Is the Z 10p rare?
Yes. The 2019 Z shares the lowest circulation mintage of any 10p with the 2019 W and Y. The 2018 Z was struck in the standard quantity for the series, far more than the 2019 but still far fewer than the everyday 10p designs.
Who designed the Zebra Crossing 10p?
It is credited to The Royal Mint Team.
Why is a zebra crossing on a 10p?
It stands for Z in The Royal Mint's A to Z of quintessentially British things, the last of the letters in the Great British Coin Hunt.