The Royal Mint has released 600,000 2023-dated and 6.5 million 2026-dated 10p coins into circulation across the UK, bearing the portrait of King Charles III and a capercaillie bird on the reverse.
The capercaillie design is based on an illustration by artist Mike Langman and is part of a redesigned suite celebrating the King's love of nature, first revealed in October 2023. The 10p is the fourth denomination to feature Charles's portrait, following the 5p, 50p, and £1 coins introduced since 2022. The RSPB has warned that the UK capercaillie population is at risk of extinction for the second time.
Coins bearing the King's portrait represent roughly 1% of the 24.1 billion coins currently in circulation. The release comes as cash use fell to 3.9 billion payments in 2025, down from 4.3 billion the previous year, according to UK Finance.