18 October 2021
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The Royal Mint has revealed the latest commemorative 50p featuring The Snowman, the fourth coin in the series celebrating Raymond Briggs’ timeless picture book and the subsequent animated films.
The Royal Mint has revealed the latest commemorative 50p celebrating British Christmas icon, The Snowman.
Following the popularity of the The Snowman coin series, the 2021 design features the moment James adds the finishing touches to the snowman by drawing his smile.
This is the fourth commemorative Snowman coin released by The Royal Mint in collaboration with Snowman Enterprises Ltd and officially licensed by Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House UK), with the first coin released in 2018.
The collectable coin range celebrates Raymond Briggs’ timeless picture book with a bespoke design created by Robin Shaw, award-winning animator and illustrator. Shaw was also the art director on The Snowman and The Snowdog animation, the heart-warming sequel to the original television adaption.
The coin comes in the following formats:
- The Snowman™ 2021 UK 50p Gold Proof (300 mintage)
- The Snowman™ 2021 UK 50p Silver Proof Coloured (7,000 mintage)
- The Snowman™ 2021 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Colour (10,000 mintage)
- The Snowman™ 2021 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated (unlimited mintage)
Included in the range is a limited edition print of original sketch by Shaw, as well as a The Snowman advent calendar containing a brilliant uncirculated colour 50p.
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Clare Maclennan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said:
“This is the fourth coin that we’ve launched as part of The Snowman™ series, and the design is just as charming as ever. Raymond Briggs’ classic characters are a tradition of the festive season for many families across the country and we are delighted to continue The Snowman™ and James’ adventures this year.”
The Royal Mint’s innovative digital colour printing technology has brought The Snowman™ design to life on the brilliant uncirculated coloured 50p, keeping true to the hand drawn, nostalgic quality of Shaw’s original sketches.
Speaking about the design, award-winning animator and illustrator Robin Shaw said:
“Because of the size of the finished coin, the design had to be very clear. I drew on the frames from the original picture book showing James building the snowman, as these capture the growing relationship between the two of them before the snowman has even come to life.
“They also needed to work perfectly as small, clear images that individually capture a moment. That’s ultimately what I wanted to achieve with this design; it’s all about showing the relationship between the little boy and his snowman.”
