King Arthur 10p (Letter K)
The King Arthur 10p (Letter K) is a circulating A to Z 10p with 304,000 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2018
- Circulation mintage
- 304,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a King Arthur 10p (Letter K) worth?
The A to Z 10p coins were made in small runs for circulation (220,000 dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019 for this letter). They were made to be collected. A circulated King Arthur 10p brings a small premium to collectors filling a set, more for the scarcer 2019 date and more again in uncirculated condition.
What would make yours worth more:
- The scarcer 2019 date
- Uncirculated condition
- An original collector card or pack
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the King Arthur 10p (Letter K) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many King Arthur 10p (Letter K) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the King Arthur 10p (Letter K) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the King Arthur 10p (Letter K) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the King Arthur 10p (Letter K) was made
King Arthur may never have existed, but few figures loom larger in British storytelling. The legend took shape in the twelfth century, when Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain around 1136 and cast Arthur as a great king who fought off invaders. Later writers in Britain and France added the Knights of the Round Table, the wizard Merlin, the court at Camelot, Queen Guinevere and the quest for the Holy Grail.
Sir Thomas Malory pulled many of these tales together in Le Morte d'Arthur, printed by William Caxton in 1485. That book shaped almost every retelling since. The sword Excalibur, given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake, has become nearly as famous as the king himself. Places across Britain claim a link to him, none more strongly than Tintagel on the north coast of Cornwall, which tradition names as his birthplace. Poets, painters and film makers keep coming back to the story. The Royal Mint gave K to King Arthur in its 2018 A to Z 10p series, making him the one legendary king among the 26 letters.
How to recognize it
Here the letter K is paired with a design drawn from the Arthurian legend. Everything else about the coin matches the other 25 letters: 24.5 mm nickel-plated steel, a weight of 6.5 g and a milled edge. On the obverse you will find the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II along with the date. Two dates exist. A 2018 date means you have the larger launch issue, while 2019 means the smaller reissue. The reverse design is the same on both, so always check the date. A magnet test will also confirm it is a steel coin of the modern type.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
King Arthur 10p (Letter K) by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the King Arthur 10p (Letter K) ranks 16th lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Jubilee 10p (Letter J) (304,000); the next more common is the Loch Ness Monster 10p (Letter L) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 King Arthur 10p coins, 220,000 are dated 2018 and 84,000 are dated 2019. About 2.6 coins were dated 2018 for every one dated 2019, which makes 2019 the date to look for.
What to check on your King Arthur 10p (Letter K)
- Confirm the letter and picture: K for King Arthur, with the date 2018 or 2019.
- Check the date. The 2019 coins had much smaller runs, so the same letter is scarcer with a 2019 date.
- Look at the surfaces under a light: coins from collector packs have unbroken luster, while change-worn coins show scuffs on the letter and design.
- Keep sets in order in a holder rather than loose; scratches on the large flat letter are easy to see.
King Arthur 10p coins were struck in quantities of 220,000 for 2018 and 84,000 for 2019. The 2019 figure is low enough that many people searching their change for years have never seen one. That is partly because so many were set aside the moment they appeared. The K coin has a following among fans of legend and fantasy, not just coin collectors. As with the rest of the series, a circulated 2018 coin is a face value find, while a clean 2019 example can bring a small premium.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2018 |
| Circulation mintage | 304,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 6.5 g |
| Diameter | 24.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2018 A to Z 10p coins
Frequently asked questions
Was King Arthur a real person?
Historians are not sure. Arthur may be based on a British leader who fought invaders after the Romans left, but the stories of Camelot, Merlin and the Round Table grew up centuries later and are mostly legend.
Is the King Arthur 10p valuable?
A 2018 King Arthur 10p in circulated condition is usually kept at face value, since 220,000 were made. The 2019 date, with 84,000 struck, is scarcer and a sharp one can command a small premium.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.