10 Pence - Elizabeth II 5th portrait, K - King Arthur

Part of the Royal Mint's "Quintessentially British" A-Z series launched in 2018, this issue was the first redesign of the circulating 10p in decades — and the first time the denomination had carried anything other than the crowned lion. The series assigned a letter to each subject, with "K" going to the Arthurian legend, a figure with no verifiable historical grounding yet treated here as straightforwardly British.

All 26 designs were initially released as a limited run before entering general circulation, causing a brief collecting frenzy at post office counters across the country.