Five pence (British coin)
| United Kingdom | |
| Value | 5 pence sterling |
|---|---|
| Mass | 3.25 g |
| Diameter | 18 mm |
| Thickness | cupro-nickel: 1.7 mm nickel-plated steel: 1.89 mm |
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition | 75% Cu, 25% Ni; nickel-plated steel from January 2012 |
| Years of minting | 1990–present |
| Catalog number | — |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design date | 1998 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Segment of the Royal Shield |
| Designer | Matthew Dent |
| Design date | 2008 |
The British decimal five pence (5p) coin – often pronounced "five pee" – is a subdivision of pound sterling first issued on 23 April 1968 in preparation for the 1971 decimalisation of the currency. At that time it had the same value, size and weight as the existing shilling, and it may be viewed as a continuation of the older coin. Between 1968 and 1971 it circulated, with a value of one shilling, alongside the pre-decimal shilling coins – the aim being to gradually familiarise the public with the new decimal coinage. After decimalisation the old shilling coin continued in circulation, with a value of 5p, until finally withdrawn in 1990.
Until 2012, the 5p coin was minted from an alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel. The 1968 version of the coin weighed 5.65 grams (0.18 troy oz) and had a diameter of 23.59 millimetres (0.929 in). On 27 June 1990 a smaller version weighing 3.25 grams (0.104 troy oz) and with a diameter of 18.00 millimetres (0.709 in) was introduced. This coin is roughly the same size as the Canadian dime and its American counterpart; because the obverses of the 5p and the Canadian dime are nearly identical, and the monetary values are roughly equal, they sometimes can be found in circulation with dimes in Canada and parts of the Northern United States. Apart from the reduction in size, the coin's design remained essentially unchanged. All the older 5p and shilling coins were withdrawn from circulation and demonetised from 1 January 1991. The old 5p coin had the same size as the 1 Deutsche Mark coin but was worth less than a fifth of a Deutsche Mark. Vending machines could not distinguish between the two, so the 5p coin was sometimes fraudulently used for the 1 DM coin. From January 2012 the 10p coin will be minted in nickel-plated steel in order to save costs.
Three different obverses have been used so far: from 1968 to 1984 the head of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin; from 1985 to 1997 the head by Raphael Maklouf; and since 1998 the head by Ian Rank-Broadley. In all cases, the inscription is ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. followed by the date.
As of 31 March 2010, there were an estimated total 3,774 million 5p coins in circulation.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Reverse designs
[edit] 1968–2008
The original reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, is a crowned thistle (formally, The Badge of Scotland, a thistle royally crowned), with the numeral "5" below the thistle, and either NEW PENCE (1968–1981) or FIVE PENCE (1982–2008) above the thistle.
[edit] 2008–
In August 2005 the Royal Mint launched a competition to find new reverse designs for all circulating coins except the £2 coin.[2] The winner, announced in April 2008, was Matthew Dent, whose designs were gradually introduced into the circulating British coinage from summer 2008.[3] The designs for the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins depict sections of the Royal Shield that form the whole shield when placed together. The shield in its entirety is featured on the £1 coin. The 5p coin depicts the centre of the Royal shield, showing the meeting point of the four quarters.
The coin's obverse remains largely unchanged, but the beading (the ring of dots around the coin's circumference), which no longer features on the coin's reverse, has also been removed from the obverse.
[edit] Mintages
- 1968 ~ 98,868,250
- 1969 ~ 120,270,000
- 1970 ~ 225,948,525
- 1971 ~ 81,783,475
- 1972-1974 ~ none
- 1975 ~ 141,539,000
- 1976 ~ none
- 1977 ~ 24,308,000
- 1978 ~ 61,094,000
- 1979 ~ 155,456,000
- 1980 ~ 220,566,000
- 1981-1986 ~ none
- 1987 ~ 48,220,000
- 1988 ~ 120,744,610
- 1989 ~ 101,406,000
size reduced
- 1990 ~ 1,634,976,005
- 1991 ~ 724,979,000
- 1992 ~ 453,173,500
- 1993 ~ none
- 1994 ~ 93,602,000
- 1995 ~ 183,384,000
- 1996 ~ 302,902,000
- 1997 ~ 236,596,000
- 1998 ~ 217,376,000
- 1999 ~ 195,490,000
- 2000 ~ 388,512,000
- 2001 ~ 337,930,000
- 2002 ~ 219,258,000
- 2003 ~ 333,230,000
- 2004 ~ 271,810,000
- 2005 ~ 236,212,000
- 2006 ~ 317,697,000
- 2007 ~ 246,720,000
- 2008 ~ 92,880,000 (Ironside)
- 2008 ~ 165,172,000 (Dent)
- 2009 ~ 125,520,300
- 2010 ~ 180,250,500 [4]
[edit] References
- ^ Estimated Coins in Circulation, Royal Mint
- ^ "Royal Mint seeks new coin designs", BBC News, 17 August 2005
- ^ "Royal Mint unveils new UK coins", 2 April 2008
- ^ Mintage figures, Royal Mint
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Shilling |
Five Pence 1971–Present |
Succeeded by Current |
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