2023 5p Coin

Quick answers

Is the 2023 5p rare?

No. 32.4 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 2023 5p coins were made?

32,400,000 were struck for circulation.

What is the 2023 5p made of?

Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 3.25 g and measures 18 mm.

Is the 2023 5p still legal tender?

Yes. The current-size 5p is legal tender, for payments of up to 5 pounds in 5p and 10p coins.

How to recognize it

The reverse shows oak leaves, with the design credited to the Royal Mint. It is the first 5p reverse since 1968 that is neither the crowned thistle nor part of the Royal Shield. The obverse carries Martin Jennings's portrait with CHARLES III D G REX F D and the date. The coin keeps the same specification as before: nickel-plated steel, 18 mm across and 3.25 g in weight, with a milled edge. It is magnetic like every 5p since 2011 and works in every machine that takes the Queen's 5ps, so the two reigns can sit side by side in the same till.

The other side carries Martin Jennings' portrait of King Charles III, first used in 2022.

2023 5p by the numbers

In mintage terms the 2023 5p ranks 3rd lowest of 46 5p dates and varieties from 1968 to 2023. The next scarcer is the 2021 5p (28 million); the next more common is the 2022 5p (42.8 million).

For scale, the most common is the 1990 5p with 1.63 billion, about 50 times as many. The scarcest is the 1977 5p with 24.3 million.

Compared with the dates around it, the 2023 output was 1.3 times fewer than 2022.

Over the 2020s the Mint produced 152.4 million 5p coins across 4 dates and varieties; the 2023 5p accounts for 21% of that.

What to check on your 2023 5p

• Confirm the date. Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
• Try a magnet: 2023 5p coins are nickel-plated steel and stick to it.
• Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
• Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.

The first King Charles III 5p is a modern coin with a modest mintage, so a nice example is worth putting aside. Worn coins are face value and nothing about it is rare yet. Collectors are mainly after bright, unhandled coins as the first date of a new reign and a new design. Pair it with a 2022 Queen Elizabeth II 5p for a simple display of the change of monarch. Keep it dry, since plated steel can rust where the plating is scratched.

King Charles III and the oak leaves (2023)

The death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 ended a reign that had lasted the entire life of the 5p. The first 5ps for King Charles III are dated 2023. Martin Jennings modeled the portrait, which shows the King bareheaded and facing left, the opposite direction to his mother. That follows the long tradition that each new monarch faces the other way from the last. The Latin legend now reads CHARLES III D G REX F D, with REX for king where the Queen's coins had REG for queen.

The reverses changed at the same time. Dent's shield pieces gave way to a new series showing plants and animals of the United Kingdom, a nod to the King's long interest in nature, with the designs credited to the Royal Mint. The 5p was given oak leaves. Few trees are as closely tied to the British countryside, so it suits a coin that passes through almost every hand in the country. Nothing about the physical coin changed. It is still 18 mm and 3.25 g in nickel-plated steel, magnetic and milled, so it works alongside the Queen's coins in every till and machine.

Only 32,400,000 of the 2023 5p were struck, a modest figure by the standards of the coin's history and far below the hundreds of millions of the busy years. Billions of 5ps were already in use and cash payments had fallen, so new coins go out only as banks need them. All the Queen's small 5ps remain legal tender, which means the King's version is still an unusual sight in change. If one reaches you, put a clean example aside. Bright coins with sharp veins on the leaves are the ones collectors want for a first year of a new reign.

Mintage chart

Specifications

Frequently asked questions