Five pence (British coin)

The British decimal five pence piece (5p) is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄20 of a pound, or five pence. Its obverse has featured the profile of the British monarch since the coin’s introduction on 23 April 1968, replacing the shilling in preparation for decimalisation in 1971. 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coin, which also remained legal tender, until a smaller version was introduced in June 1990 with the older coins being withdrawn on 31 December 1990.

The five pence coin was originally minted from cupro-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni), but since 2011 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, replacing them with nickel-plated steel versions.

In March 2014, an estimated 3,847 million 5p coins were in circulation with an estimated face value of £192.370 million.

Five pence coins minted after 1990 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.