New "quintessentially British" 10p coins celebrate the full English breakfast and queueing

The Royal Mint has released 26 newly designed 10p coins that trace the A-Z of Britishness, from the Angel of the North to zebra crossings. The government-owned mint, which has been making Britain’s coins for over 1,100 years, has announced the Great British Coin Hunt and invites the public to find all 26 coins with the help of a new app. The circulating coins will be available to find in change from the first week of March 2018.

“We have used the alphabet to map out the A-Z of what makes Britain great,” writes The Royal Mint’s Anna Powell in a blog post. This includes big technological advancements like Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the World Wide Web to the country’s inclination to queuing. James Bond, a full English breakfast, fish and chips, the Yeoman, Stonehenge and ice cream cones are among other aspects of Britishness the mint have commemorated.

Each coin’s design was conceptualised and created by a team consisting mostly of The Royal Mint’s coin designers. After rigorous selection and approval processes, the models were sent off to the Queen for final approval. The Quintessentially British A-Z series marks two significant anniversaries; 2018 sees the National Health Service turn 70 and the Angel of the North turn 20.