13 October 2018
|
How many Beatrix Potter 50p coins are there? How much are the Peter Rabbit coins worth? Are they really worth £100s? We give you the lowdown on the coins, revealing the most valuable examples.
First issued in 2016, the Beatrix Potter 50p coins became hugely popular thanks to the subject - thousands of us grew up reading about the cheeky bunny and his friends - and the growing appeal of collecting 50p coins, sparked by the ambitious London 2012 Olympics 50p series.
QUICK LINKS
Find the latest 50p coins in the Royal Mint shop! (opens in new window)
Buy the 'Collect Modern Coin' souvenir guide
How much are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins worth?
How many Beatrix Potter 50p coins are there?
The first Beatrix Potter 50p coins were released in 2016 to mark 150 years since the famous writer and illustrator's birth. This first issue consisted of the following coins:
- Peter Rabbit 50p coin
- Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p coin
- Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p coin
- Squirrel Nutkin 50p coin
- Beatrix Potter 150th anniversary 50p coin
In 2017 The Royal Mint issued further Beatrix Potter coins, as follows:
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit 50p coin
- Jeremy Fisher 50p coin
- Benjamin Bunny 50p coin
- Tom Kitten 50p coin
In 2018 the series continued with the released of the following coins:
- Peter Rabbit 50p coin
- Flopsy Bunny 50p coin
- Tailor of Gloucester 50p coin
- Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin
Which Beatrix Potter coins are the most valuable?
The most scarce Beatrix Potter 50p is the 2018 Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins, which both had a relatively low mintage of 1.4 million. Both of these coins sell for around £5 and it’s likely this price will increase in the years to come as more and more collectors take them out of circulation. Next on the list is the Mrs Tittlemouse from the same year, with examples selling for around £3.
Because it has been available since 2016 and until recently was thought to be the scarcest of the coins, the Jemima Puddle-Duck coin is currently the most valuable. With a mintage of 2.1 million, the coin is no longer available from The Royal Mint and examples can be bought for between £10 and £20 on ebay.
What’s my 50p worth?
Discover the history of the British 50p piece, from 1969 to 2018, with your in-depth guide to designs and mintage figures, including collector notes, mintage figures and estimated values. Find out more >>>
So why are Beatrix Potter coins going for £100s on ebay?
There are different versions of new coins issued by The Royal Mint. The figures detailed above are for circulation coins - the examples that we find in our loose change. For each new coin, The Royal Mint issue a Silver Proof Coloured version, a Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) and the circulation copy.
Only 15,000 copies of the 2016 Peter Rabbit Silver Proof Coloured 50p coin were released and they quickly sold out, with The Royal Mint website crashing due to the huge demand.
This means the coloured version - not actually a circulation coin, it wouldn't be accepted in shops - is now worth around £400.
The coloured versions of the 2017 coins can be bought for £125 each from sites such as The Westminster Collection. The 2018 Silver Proof Coloured versions are priced at £60 each. But since there are limited numbers of these special edition coins, they are likely to go up in value in the years to come.
Buyer beware! Examples with a 'professionally made sticker' are being offered on ebay - these coins are not the official Silver Proof Coloured 50p coins, but just feature a coloured sticker over the original design.
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) versions of the coin feature a pristine finish (and usually sold in special packaging to retain their condition) that isn't seen on the circulated coins. Yet generally speaking they are only marginally more valuable than the examples we find in our loose change.
You can purchase Brilliant Uncirculated versions of the 2018 coins for £10 from The Royal Mint website, whilst The Westminster Collection offers versions for as little as £3.99.
Want even more coin collecting information, market insight and in-depth collecting guides? Try the latest issue of Coin Collector magazine today! Click here to order a copy.
What should I do if I find a Beatrix Potter coin?
If you find a Beatrix Potter coin in your change why not keep it and complete the collection? It's unlikely your coin will fetch £100s or £1,000s on ebay, but the coins make for a lovely collection and there are a variety of different folders available to store and display the coins.
In future years the lower mintage coins will gain value, and the Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p is definitely the one to look our for, so keep an eye on your change and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. It's no longer just that nasty Mr McGregor that's searching high and low for Peter Rabbit!
QUICK LINKS to more 50p advice…
- How much is the Kew Gardens 50p worth?
- How many Olympic 50p coins are there, and how much are they worth?
- Our guide to Royal Mint coins
