Peter Rabbit is arguably Beatrix Potter’s cheekiest character and he’s been one of the most popular and most-loved characters in children’s literature since his first creation.
He’s featured in books, films and even on the UK’s favourite coin, the 50p!
2017 The Tale of Peter Rabbit – 19,900,000. 2018 Royal Shield – 0. To find an approximate 50p value go to our. Jun 22, 2020 Peter Rabbit’s 50p Debut. In honour of Beatrix Potter and her legacy, the Royal Mint announced a 50p coin collection in 2016, featuring four of her characters, and a design paying tribute to the author herself. The obvious starting place was with Beatrix Potter’s most famous creation – Peter Rabbit. Known for his cheeky escapades in Mr.
But where did Peter Rabbit’s tale begin and how did he end up on FIVE UK 50p coins?In this blog, we run through the exciting tale of the Peter Rabbit 50p series…
Bridging Generations
Peter Rabbit first appeared in literature back in 1902, when children’s author Beatrix Potter commercially published what was to become her best-seller, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The story is centred around Peter, who is far more adventurous than his siblings: Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. Going against his mother’s instructions, Peter breaks into Mr. McGregor’s garden after being tempted by some delicious looking vegetables… After a close encounter with McGregor, Peter manages to escape, but sadly loses his shoes and iconic blue jacket.
Since 1902, Peter Rabbit has featured in eight books, over 9 tv/film adaptations. and has been made into numerous commemorative souvenirs – including a series of 50p coins!
He’s become a household a name across generations and is loved by families up and down the country.
United Kingdom Peter Rabbit 50p Coins
In 2016, to celebrate 150 years since the birth of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter, The Royal Mint issued a series of 50p coins.
2016 Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p was the first coin to be issued in the series and features a close up portrait of the loveable rabbit with his big whiskers taking centre-stage.
The design, by Emma Noble, uses original illustrations from the books to celebrate Potter’s life and works.
9,700,000 of these coins were issued into circulation and proved very popular amongst collectors!
2017 Peter Rabbit 50p
Next up in the series, is the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p, which is my personal favourite!
Designed by Emma Noble, the coin features Peter Rabbit in his iconic blue jacket in a pose that was to become the emblem of Beatrix Potter’s work.
This 50p has a circulating mintage of 19,900,000. Do you have this coin in your collection? Comment below!
2018 Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p coin is the third UK coin to feature the much-loved children’s character.
Designed by Emma Noble, the reverse features Peter Rabbit munching on radishes and has the joint lowest circulating mintage of all the Beatrix Potter 50p coins.
The 2018 Peter Rabbit and 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50ps have a circulating mintage of just 1,400,000, so if you have this 50p in your collection, consider yourself very lucky!
2019 Peter Rabbit 50p
The tale continued in 2019 with this 50p coin, which is the fourth coin to feature the much-loved Children’s character.
Struck by The Royal Mint, the reverse of the coin features an original illustration of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter that has been engraved by Royal Mint coin designer, Emma Noble.
This coin was issued in collector quality only and did not enter general circulation.
2020 Peter Rabbit 50p
Issued during a world pandemic, this Peter Rabbit 50p is arguably the forgotten coin of 2020.
It was confirmed to be the very last UK Peter Rabbit 50p, sadly bringing his UK 50p tale to an end. Masked by the events of the pandemic, the significance of this coin’s issue was missed.
It’s reverse features a design of an original Beatrix Potter illustration of Peter Rabbit, scrambling under Mr. McGregor’s fence.
It did not enter general circulation and was issued only in collector quality.
So, now we’ve run through all of the UK Peter Rabbit 50p designs, we want to know which is your favourite!
Which UK Peter Rabbit 50p is your favourite?Secure the 2017 UK Peter Rabbit 50p to your collection today!
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.
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
Change Checker stock a number of the Beatrix Potter 50ps which you can secure for your collection here >>
Which Beatrix Potter coins are the most valuable?
According to our friends at Change Checker, the most scarce Beatrix Potter 50p is the 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck coin, which is rated as the third rarest 50p coin in circulation (behind the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton and the 2009 Kew Gardens coins) with a relatively low 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.
The second scarcest coin is the 2016 Squirrel Nutkin, with a mintage figure of 5 million. This coin can be bought for around £3.50 on ebay.
The mintage of the other Beatrix Potter coins is as follows:
- 2016 Beatrix Potter 150th Anniversary - 6.9 million
- 2016 Mrs Tiggy-Winkle - 8.8 million
- 2017 Tom Kitten - 9.5 million
- 2017 Jeremy Fisher - 9.9 million
- 2017 Peter Rabbit - 19.9 million
- 2017 Benjamin Bunny - 25 million
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.
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The Tale Of Peter Rabbit 50p Coin Value
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.
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit 50p Worth
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…
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