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From Nessie to James Bond: New 'quintessentially British' 10p collection celebrates UK

James Bond, fish and chips, an English breakfast, the Loch Ness Monster and even queuing are celebrated in a new collection of ‘quintessentially British’ 10p coins that will soon show up in people’s change.

The collection of 26 new 10p designs, unveiled by the Royal Mint, shows an A to Z of what makes Britain great – from the Angel of the North to a zebra crossing.

The English breakfast coin depicts a fried egg, bacon, sausages, tomato and beans, while the James Bond coin says: ‘007’.

Stonehenge, a double decker bus, the NHS and the Houses of Parliament are also celebrated in the collection, which is released into general circulation from Thursday alongside collectors’ versions available to buy from the Royal Mint website.

The Royal Mint also has a ‘great British coin hunt’ app, which allows coin hunters to create a digital collection of the coins they find in their change.

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Anne Jessopp, chief executive at the Royal Mint, said: ‘These designs were selected because we feel they represent a diverse mix of elements that make up the country we all love.

‘There is a lot to be proud of in the UK – whether it’s at the highest level, our Houses of Parliament representing democracy and freedom of speech, technological advancements such as Tim Berners-Lee’s world wide web, or just a good cup of tea, it’s all here in the designs.

‘We hope the British public is inspired to take part in the great British coin hunt by checking their change for those miniature works of art that spell out just some of the many iconic themes that are quintessentially British.’