James Bond and an English breakfast feature on new 10p coins that celebrates what makes Britain great

A new collection of "quintessentially British" 10p coins have been revealed celebrating the best of Britain, which includes James Bond and an English breakfast.

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

James Bond, fish and chips, an English breakfast, the Loch Ness Monster and even queuing are celebrated in the new collection which is being released into general circulation from 1 March.

The Royal Mint website experienced high numbers of visitors who were then entered into a queue as collectors' versions became available to buy online.

The very British trait of queuing features on one of the coins. Credit: PA

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.

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

Users can download the app from the App Store or Google Play, to scan the coin with their camera.

They can also link the app to their social media to share what they find in their pockets and wallets.

It also features a heat map within the app, showing where different coins are being found and directs users to swap shops where they can trade coins.

Greenwich mean time and James Bond are also featured on the new coins. Credit: PA

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."

Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said the new collection is a departure from the standard way in which the Royal Mint has celebrated what is great about Britain in the past.

He said: "We have marked great events, celebrated engineers, politicians and of course royalty.

"This series really drills down into the heartland of what makes Britain British. It's the granularity of British life celebrated on the coinage."

The full great British coin hunt range is as follows:

  • A - Angel of the North

  • B - Bond... James Bond

  • C - Cricket

  • D - Double decker bus

  • E - English breakfast

  • F - Fish and chips

  • G - Greenwich mean time

  • H - Houses of Parliament

  • I - Ice-cream cone

  • J - Jubilee

  • K - King Arthur

  • L - Loch Ness Monster

  • M - Mackintosh

  • N - National Health Service

  • O - Oak tree

  • P - Post box

  • Q - Queuing

  • R - Robin

  • S - Stonehenge

  • T - Teapot

  • U - Union flag

  • V - Village

  • W - World wide web

  • X - X marks the spot

  • Y - Yeoman

  • Z - Zebra crossing