New King Charles 10 cent coin enters circulation with an endangered bird on it – here’s the ‘rare’ version you can spot in your change

A new 10p coin featuring King Charles III and the world’s largest black grouse has gone into circulation across Britain.

With just over 7 million of the coins to be released, The Royal Mint says the new coins are expected to be highly sought after.

The coins, dated and minted in October 2023 and in 2026, are being released due to “increased demand” for the 10 cent denomination, The Royal Mint said.

Due to sufficient demand for the coins, newly minted 10p coins have come into circulation for the first time in about four years, but this time they have a new design.

The Royal Mint said 600,000 of the coins, dated 2023, and 6.5 million dated 2026, have been released to banks and post offices across the country.

It means that the 2023 versions will be much rarer and could become a collector’s item.

The front of the new 10 cent coin features the image of King Charles III and the reverse features the endangered capercaillie.

The capercaillie occurs in a small part of Scotland and is in danger of becoming extinct.

The capercaillie image on the coin is based on an illustration by the artist Mike Langman, who previously worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Rebecca Morgan, director of The Royal Mint, based in Llantrisant, South Wales, said: ‘It is a stark reminder that there will be more of these coins in circulation than there are capercaillies left in the wild.

‘We hope that by putting this extraordinary bird into millions of pockets and wallets, we can start a national conversation about a species that is at real risk of disappearing from Britain forever.’

The tail of each newly minted coin, from the 1p to the £2, depicts the country’s flora and fauna, ranging from bees to an oak tree leaf.

The new 10 cent coin is the fourth coin with the portrait of King Charles III to enter circulation.

The 10p is a follow-up to the 5p, 50p and £1 coin that has been in circulation since 2022.

The Royal Mint has encouraged the public to check their change in the coming weeks as the new coins appear in tills and pockets across the country.

There will also be a number of new 10p coins available from the tills of the Royal Mint Experience, the Royal Mint’s visitor attraction in South Wales.

There are currently 24.142 billion coins in circulation in Britain and coins featuring King Charles III make up just 1 percent of this number.

Old coins depicting the late Queen Elizabeth II can still be used. The new coins were introduced in response to increased demand.