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-plated steel (2011–) |
Years of minting | 1968–present |
Obverse | |
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Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
Designer | Jody Clark |
Design date | 2015 |
Reverse | |
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Design | Segment of the Royal Shield |
Designer | Matthew Dent |
Design date | 2008 |
The British decimal five pence coin (often shortened to 5p in writing and speech) is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 5⁄100 of a pound. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction on 23 April 1968, replacing the shilling in preparation for decimalisation 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coin, which also remained legal tender, until a smaller version was introduced in June 1990 with the older coins being withdrawn on 31 December 1990.[2] Four different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the latest design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008.
5p coins are legal 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, the Royal Mint began a programme to gradually remove the previous cupro-nickel coins from circulation with replacement by the 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]