The Royal Mint has unveiled a new collection of “quintessentially British” 10p coins.
James Bond, fish and chips, an English breakfast and the Loch Ness Monster all feature on the 26 new designs in circulation.
The collection has been designed as an A to Z homage to all things British – from the Angel of the North to a zebra crossing.
The English breakfast coin depicts a fried egg, bacon, sausages, tomato and beans, while the James Bond coin says: “007”.
Coins featuring Stonehenge, a double-decker bus, the NHS and the Houses of Parliament will also be available alongside collectors’ versions available to buy from the Royal Mint website.
Anne Jessopp, chief executive at the Royal Mint, said: “These designs were selected because we feel they represent a diverse mix of elements that make up the country we all love.
“There is a lot to be proud of in the UK – whether it’s at the highest level, our Houses of Parliament representing democracy and freedom of speech, technological advancements such as Tim Berners-Lee’s world wide web, or just a good cup of tea, it’s all here in the designs.
“We hope the British public is inspired to take part in the great British coin hunt by checking their change for those miniature works of art that spell out just some of the many iconic themes that are quintessentially British.”
Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said the new collection is a departure from the standard way in which the Royal Mint has celebrated what is great about Britain in the past.
He said: “We have marked great events, celebrated engineers, politicians and of course royalty.
“This series really drills down into the heartland of what makes Britain British. It’s the granularity of British life celebrated on the coinage.”
Find the full list of new coins below:
A – Angel of the North
B – Bond... James Bond
C – Cricket
D – Double-decker bus
E – English breakfast
F – Fish and chips
G – Greenwich mean time
H – Houses of Parliament
I – Ice-cream cone
J – Jubilee
K – King Arthur
L – Loch Ness Monster
M – Mackintosh
N – National Health Service
O – Oak tree
P – Post box
Q – Queuing
R – Robin
S – Stonehenge
T – Teapot
U – Union flag
V – Village
W – World Wide Web
X – X marks the spot
Y – Yeoman
Z – Zebra crossing
Additional reporting by PA
