1981 10 Pence Uncirculated, How Rare or Common?

[VickySilver]

Over the years I have looked sporadically at some of the decimal issues and one that keeps coming up as rather scarce is the uncirculated 1981 10 pence. Mintage was about 3.5 million coins, so a fair number struck. Evidently they were largely paid out into circulating channels because recently they seem rather unusual to find, and particularly if an uncirculated currency issue and not one of the more common proofs.This is from the year just prior to the release of yearly uncirculated sets by the Royal Mint.

I have seen that there is near zero interest in the decimal series but that on occasion they will sell for 50-75 pounds. How common or rare is this coin in your opinion, and are there other such coins of similar scarcity?

[Peckris 2]

I think you can probably ignore the mintage figures. This was the final year of the large 10p's, outside the BU and proof sets. My thought is that the Mint overestimated demand and minted far more than ever got issued; possibly a large proportion of the strike was melted down?

Michael Gouby has a couple of high grade currency examples for sale at high prices. Certainly, you don't see 1981s offered for sale otherwise, so they are presumably much rarer than the mintage suggests.

Other rarities include the very rare 1983 NEW PENCE 2p, and supposedly recent 50p's such as Kew Gardens (not as rare as thought, really), the 2012 Olympic 'swimmer' 50p with the waves across the swimmer's face, the 2008 'no date' 20p though again, its rarity is exaggerated. I don't think the 1981 10p is possibly as rare as those, but it's telling that the ones on sale on eBay are all proofs (even the one described as BU UNC) and cost between £15 and £18, which is far more than proofs of other years.

[VickySilver]

Ah thanks for the input!  Yea, don't care for those 50 P coins as IMO they are overhyped and not ordinary currency coins generally (although there are some marginal coins to be sure). The 2008 "no date" I agree is entirely overrated and have seen auctions with up to and greater than THIRTY STRAIGHT LOTS! 

I have heard some rumours, likely not proven that some of the reported 1981 10p mintage were actually 1980 coins. I saw Gouby's coins and had a bit of a laugh as I just got two for 21 USD including tax, shipping, etc. - or about 8 pounds per coin & mine are nice uncirculated coins with decent lustre. I have had a look at some other smaller denomination coins in the decimal currency series and have not been impressed although for some reason I like the large modulus 2p coins...

I got one of the Martini 1983 sets featuring the 2 New Pence coin and have kept it in original packaging although the red lustre is beginning to fade a bit despite my best preservation efforts.

[richtips86]

What we need is a Mail Money article stating that they’re the rarest coin known and then quickly see how many pop up on eBay! 😂

I wouldn’t begin to estimate how many there are, however I’m only now really collecting decimals and am always trying to hunt down these kinds of coins! I’ve not yet found an uncirculated 1981 10p anywhere apart from on Michael’s website, and I’ve trawled a lot of eBay sellers over the last few years! 

[PWA 1967]

7 minutes ago, richtips86 said:

What we need is a Mail Money article stating that they’re the rarest coin known and then quickly see how many pop up on eBay! 😂

I wouldn’t begin to estimate how many there are, however I’m only now really collecting decimals and am always trying to hunt down these kinds of coins! I’ve not yet found an uncirculated 1981 10p anywhere apart from on Michael’s website, and I’ve trawled a lot of eBay sellers over the last few years! 

I have some BU ,send me a message if you want to buy one and not carry on looking.

Pete.

[richtips86]

Thanks Pete, I do actually have one, but am constantly scouring to see how often things pop up! Cheers for the offer though!

[VickySilver]

What are your thoughts on this coin Pete? Scarce or not?  I got two for approx. 14 pounds.

[PWA 1967]

2 hours ago, VickySilver said:

What are your thoughts on this coin Pete? Scarce or not?  I got two for approx. 14 pounds.

Proofs there are loads of them and can buy them today off eBay,currency really hard to find.I looked almost daily for months (nothing better to do ) and was lucky to find a currency sealed bag.I knew Michael had found them hard to find also ,so let him have a few and like me you must of just been lucky to find two 😀

Any decimal coin that does not turn up on eBay for months as richtips above mentions must be scarce.

[PWA 1967]

You ask about other decimals that are hard to find Eric and this 1970 halfpenny proof is although a variety ,which was mentioned the other week.

D to gap    i to tooth.

The lowest mintage Great britain 50p (not struck in error) is the blue peter 2009 with less than 20,000 minted but they are at upto £250 /300 now.Most of the low mintage and collectable decimals are the territory coins of mainly Gibraltar and the isle of man.The rarest or hardest currency to find being the 1989 isle of man blimp £2 and the last one i saw sell was for £2000.

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by PWA 1967

[VickySilver]

Ah thanks for that. I have a couple of the 1970s and will have to look, even at the pattern one just to check.

An entire bag? My goodness that is something and must of itself be a scarce event - I hope you have a bit of the story behind that one!

I'm just not crazy about those special issue 50p even if technically currency - I think I like the earlier 5 & 10p because of them sticking to the old pre-decimal standards but will not collect them by date (I think many of the coins I collect have gotten nearly unreachable & crazy priced nowadays).

 

The blimp story really good - 2,000? Ouch!

 

[VickySilver]

Courtesy of young Richard & plenty of lustre:

[Peckris 2]

20 hours ago, PWA 1967 said:

Proofs there are loads of them and can buy them today off eBay,currency really hard to find.I looked almost daily for months (nothing better to do ) and was lucky to find a currency sealed bag.I knew Michael had found them hard to find also ,so let him have a few and like me you must of just been lucky to find two 😀

Any decimal coin that does not turn up on eBay for months as richtips above mentions must be scarce.

OMG. How many coins in it?

 

19 hours ago, PWA 1967 said:

You ask about other decimals that are hard to find Eric and this 1970 halfpenny proof is although a variety ,which was mentioned the other week.

D to gap    i to tooth.

 

Well, sort of... if I'm right, that's the standard obverse used in most years. However, most? of the 1970 proofs use the scarce obverse from 1956 and 1968 where I of DEI is to a space and the rim is wider

[PWA 1967]

1 hour ago, Peckris 2 said:

OMG. How many coins in it?

 

Well, sort of... if I'm right, that's the standard obverse used in most years. However, most? of the 1970 proofs use the scarce obverse from 1956 and 1968 where I of DEI is to a space and the rim is wider

Yes ,its an obverse that has been used before but a lot scarcer and harder to find on the 1970 proof half penny.

I bought 20 of the 10p as although the dealer had a bag he opened it to sell them individually.When he told me he still had them all and i bought mine i messaged a few people who bought the others.

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by PWA 1967

[VickySilver]

I am still impressed by that hoard - has to be I would imagine a bit unusual. How does your coin(s) look? I will try to get a better photo but as usual a bit hamstrung embarassingly. 

[richtips86]

21 hours ago, VickySilver said:

I'm just not crazy about those special issue 50p even if technically currency - I think I like the earlier 5 & 10p because of them sticking to the old pre-decimal standards but will not collect them by date (I think many of the coins I collect have gotten nearly unreachable & crazy priced nowadays).

 

There’s quite a few 50ps and a couple of the regular £2 issued especially around 2006 that don’t feature in any of the BU packs but put into circulation that are very affordable (if you can find them) on eBay. Through hours of scrolling and a few lucky purchases, I’ve managed to get most.

I can pull together a list if you’d be interested.
 

 

[VickySilver]

Ah, that would be nice (and lazy of me!) always interested in such. Probably never much overall interest but who cares?

[richtips86]

Just been going through but none of the following were issued in sets, so difficult to find in BU: 

1999 £2 technology coin (one of chris’ favourites)

2006 £2 technology coin

2006 Britannia 50p my reckoning

2007 £2 Abolition of slavery textured no initials

2007 £2 technology

There’s probably more, but these were the immediate ones I could think of

 

[VickySilver]

Ah, good research there Sir. Thanks. I would imagine some such as the Abolition coin did not exactly have a big following as the subject fine but the design? Well, ummm, terrible.I recall in this era BU coins were packaged and sold separately and even have one of my hero, Charles Darwin from 2 years later...

[richtips86]

Yeah, it also makes you wonder why they produce two different styles, one for packs, one for circulation.

The cynical side of me has thought, that these designs, then the undated 20p, then the Kew Gardens hysteria, 2009 blue Peter 50p, were to whip people up into collecting modern coins so that they’d have a market to then sell 15 designs per year!