United Kingdom | |
| Value | £0.05 |
|---|---|
| Mass | (1968–1990) 5.65 g (1990–present) 3.25 g |
| Diameter | (1968–1990) 23.59 mm (1990–present) 18.00 mm |
| Thickness | (Cupro-nickel) 1.7 mm (Steel) 1.89 mm |
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition | Cupronickel (1968–2010) Nickel-platedsteel (2011–) |
| Years of minting | 1968–present |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Jody Clark |
| Design date | 2015 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Segment of theRoyal Shield |
| Designer | Matthew Dent |
| Design date | 2008 |
TheBritish decimalfive pencecoin (often shortened to5p in writing and speech) is a denomination ofsterling coinage worth5⁄100 of apound. Its obverse has featured the profile of theBritish monarch since the coin’s introduction on 23 April 1968, replacing theshilling in preparation fordecimalisation in 1971.[1] It remained the same size as the one shilling coin, which also remained legal tender, until a smaller version was introduced in June 1990 with the older coins being withdrawn on 31 December 1990.[2]
Five pence coins arelegal tender up to the sum of £5 when offered in repayment of a debt; however, the coin's legal tender status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions.[3]
The five pence coin was originally minted from cupro-nickel (75%Cu, 25%Ni), but since 2011[4] it has been minted in nickel-plated steel due to the increasing price of metal. From January 2013, theRoyal Mint began a programme to gradually remove the previous cupro-nickel coins from circulation, replacing them with nickel-plated steel versions.[5]
In March 2014, an estimated 3,847 million 5p coins were in circulation with an estimated face value of £192.370 million.[6]
The originalreverse of the coin, designed byChristopher Ironside, and used from 1968 to 2008, is a crownedthistle (formally,The Badge of Scotland, a thistle royally crowned), with the numeral "5" below the thistle, and eitherNEW PENCE (1968–1981) orFIVE PENCE (1982–2008) above the thistle.
To date, three differentobverses have been used. In all cases, the inscription isELIZABETH IID.G.REG.F.D. 2013,[7] where 2013 is replaced by the year of minting. In the original design, both sides of the coin areencircled by dots, a common feature on coins, known as beading.
As with all new decimal currency, until 1984 the portrait ofQueen Elizabeth II byArnold Machin appeared on the obverse,[8] in which the Queen wears the'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara.
Between 1985 and 1997, the portrait byRaphael Maklouf was used,[8] in which the Queen wears theGeorge IV State Diadem.
On 27 June 1990, a reduced-size version of the five pence coin was introduced. The older, larger coins were withdrawn on 31 December 1990. The design remained unchanged.
From 1998 to 2015, the portrait byIan Rank-Broadley was used,[8] again featuring thetiara, with a signature-markIRB below the portrait.
In June 2015, coins bearing the portrait byJody Clark were introduced into circulation.
In August 2005, theRoyal Mint launched acompetition to find new reverse designs for all circulating coins apart from the £2 coin.[9] The winner, announced in April 2008, wasMatthew Dent, whose designs were gradually introduced into the circulating British coinage from mid-2008.[10] The designs for the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins depict sections of theRoyal Shield that form the whole shield when placed together. The shield in its entirety was featured on the now-obsolete round £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.
In October 2023 theKing Charles III five-pence coin, featuring an oak leaf with acorns, was presented.[11][12]
| Year | Number minted | Composition | Diameter (mm) | Portrait | Reverse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 98,868,250 | Cupro-nickel | 23.59 | Machin | Ironside |
| 1969 | 120,270,000 | ||||
| 1970 | 225,948,525 | ||||
| 1971 | 81,783,475 | ||||
| 1972 | 0 | ||||
| 1973 | 0 | ||||
| 1974 | 0 | ||||
| 1975 | 141,539,000 | ||||
| 1976 | 0 | ||||
| 1977 | 24,308,000 | ||||
| 1978 | 61,094,000 | ||||
| 1979 | 155,456,000 | ||||
| 1980 | 220,566,000 | ||||
| 1981 | 0 | ||||
| 1982 | 0 | ||||
| 1983 | 0 | ||||
| 1984 | 0 | ||||
| 1985 | 0 | Maklouf | |||
| 1986 | 0 | ||||
| 1987 | 48,220,000 | ||||
| 1988 | 120,744,610 | ||||
| 1989 | 101,406,000 | ||||
| 1990 | 1,634,976,005 | 18.00 | |||
| 1991 | 724,979,000 | ||||
| 1992 | 453,173,500 | ||||
| 1993 | 0 | ||||
| 1994 | 93,602,000 | ||||
| 1995 | 183,384,000 | ||||
| 1996 | 302,902,000 | ||||
| 1997 | 236,596,000 | ||||
| 1998 | 217,376,000 | Rank-Broadley | |||
| 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 | ||||
| 165,172,000 | Dent | ||||
| 2009 | 132,960,300 | ||||
| 2010 | 396,245,500 | ||||
| 2011 | 50,400,000 | Nickel-plated steel | |||
| 2012 | 339,802,350 | ||||
| 2013 | 378,800,750 | ||||
| 2014 | 885,004,520 | ||||
| 2015 | 163,000,000 | ||||
| 536,600,000 | Clark | ||||
| 2016 | 305,740,000 | ||||
| 2017 | 220,515,000 | ||||
| 2018 | 0 | ||||
| 2019 | 92,800,000 | ||||
| 2020 | 49,200,000 | ||||
| 2021 | 28,000,000 | ||||
| 2022 | 42,800,000 | ||||
| 2023 | 32,400,000 | Jennings | The Royal Mint[14] | ||
| 2024 | 0 |
Mint sets have been produced since 1982; where mintages on or after that date indicate '0', there are examples contained within those sets.
