Stonehenge 10p (Letter S)
The Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) 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 Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) 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 Stonehenge 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 Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) rare?
- It is scarcer than most A to Z 10p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) coins were made?
- 304,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.5 g and measures 24.5 mm.
- Is the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) still legal tender?
- Yes. Every A to Z 10p is legal tender in the UK at face value.
Why the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) was made
Stonehenge rises out of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, a ring of huge standing stones that has puzzled visitors for thousands of years. It was built in stages, beginning around 3000 BC with a circular earthwork and continuing for more than a thousand years. The large sarsen stones came from the downs to the north, while the smaller bluestones were brought all the way from the Preseli Hills in west Wales, a journey of well over 100 miles.
How a farming society moved such stones without metal tools is still debated. The monument is aligned with the sun, so the summer solstice sunrise and the winter solstice sunset line up with its main axis. Thousands of people gather there each June to watch dawn break over the stones. Stonehenge became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 together with Avebury and the ancient landscape around them. Archaeologists still uncover new finds nearby almost every year, from burial mounds to traces of the people who built it. The Royal Mint chose it for S in its 2018 A to Z 10p series. It is the oldest subject in the entire alphabet by several thousand years.
How to recognize it
On the S coin the stone circle stands with the letter S alongside, its uprights and capstones giving it a profile almost everyone knows. It is struck in nickel-plated steel to the standard 10p size of 24.5 mm and a weight of 6.5 g, with a milled edge. The obverse carries the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date. Stonehenge was issued dated 2018 and 2019 with the same reverse. Check the date to see which version you hold. On worn coins the gaps between the stones fill in and blur first, so sharp spaces suggest light handling.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) by the numbers
In mintage terms the Stonehenge 10p (Letter S) ranks 22nd lowest of 26 circulating A to Z 10p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the Postbox 10p (Letter P) (304,000); the next more common is the Tea 10p (Letter T) (304,000).
It was the only circulating commemorative A to Z 10p dated 2018.
Of the 304,000 Stonehenge 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 Stonehenge 10p (Letter S)
- Confirm the letter and picture: S for Stonehenge, 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.
Stonehenge has 220,000 coins dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019. The 2018 figure is close to the 210,000 struck of the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, which shows how small these runs really are for a circulating coin. The design is popular with tourists and people interested in prehistory, which helps keep 2018 coins out of circulation. The 2019 coin, with fewer than half as many struck, is far harder to find. Look for sharp edges on the stones and a clean field around them.
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
How many Stonehenge 10p coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 220,000 Stonehenge 10p coins dated 2018 and 84,000 dated 2019 for circulation. The 2019 date is much less common in change and is the version to look out for.
Is the Stonehenge 10p still legal tender?
Yes. All the A to Z 10p coins are legal tender and can be spent like any other 10p. It makes sense to check the date first, though, especially if your Stonehenge coin is dated 2019.
Mintage figures: Ten pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.