02 August 2020
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Found a Paddington Bear 50p? Find out whether its rare, how much it might be worth, and what other Paddington coins you can collect with our in-depth coin guide.
Paddington Bear was created by British author Michael Bond with the first book published in 1958. Fifty years later, in 2018, The Royal Mint celebrated the first six decades of the loveable character with two 50p coins, and two more 50p coins followed in 2019:
- 2018 - Paddington at Buckingham Palace 50p
- 2018 - Paddington at the Station 50p
- 2019 - Paddington at the Tower of London
- 2019 - Paddington at St Paul's
The first two Paddington 50p coins were issued on 18 June 2018 and The Royal Mint has now revealed the number of coins issued into general circulation during that year.
The Paddington at Buckingham Palace 50p was issued in the following formats:
- Circulation coins (mintage of 5,001,000)
- Brilliant Uncirculated
- Silver Proof (limited to 60,000)
The Paddington at the Station 50p was issued in the following formats:
- Circulation coins (mintage of 5,901,000)
- Brilliant Uncirculated
- Silver Proof (limited to 60,000)
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So how rare are the 2018 Paddington Bear 50p coins?
The circulation coins are not very rare due to the mintage figure of over 5 million. In comparison, only 210,000 copies of the highly collectable 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coins were minted.
In short, the Paddington Bear 50p coins you find in your change are worth about… 50p. But why not put them aside and add them to your 50p collection?
The Brilliant Uncirculated coins are being sold by The Royal Mint for £10, and the Silver Proof has a retail price of £60.
2019 Paddington Bear 50p coins
In 2019, two further Paddington Bear 50p coins were issued, this time showing him outside the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral, respectively. Once again, the coins are available in similar formats:
The Paddington at the Tower 50p was issued in the following formats:
- Circulation coins (mintage not yet known)
- Brilliant Uncirculated (£10 from The Royal Mint)
- Silver Proof (limited to 25,000, retails for £65)
The Paddington at St Paul's 50p was issued in the following formats:
- Circulation coins (mintage not yet known)
- Brilliant Uncirculated (£12.99 from ChangeChecker)
- Silver Proof (limited to 60,000, £65)
- Gold Proof (limited to 600 copies, and selling for £945)
These coins are no longer available at The Royal Mint but Change Checker stock a range of Paddington 50p products in Brilliant Uncirculated quality which you can secure for your collection here >>
So why were some Paddington coins sold for thousands on eBay?
Back in 2018, a small number of the Paddington Bear 50p coins were issued early, giving collectors the chance to get their hands on the pieces before they were officially released.
Some of these first coins were put up for sale on eBay attracting interest from the national newspapers, who often report on sales of 50p coins.
One coin even had a price of £16,000… but don't believe the hype! The coin will not have sold for this much, and as soon as the coins were released these early coins lost any additional value they may have had.
It's often the case that newspapers report on modern coins selling for hundreds or thousands on eBay, but there's usually an explanation that means it's more a case of sellers 'trying their luck' rather than any bonafide rarity. As ever, buyer beware, know the facts before you spend your money.
Read more about collectable 50p coins
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