There’s a friend of mine that you ought to meet…The 2024 Gruffalo’s Child 50p
Who is this creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws…the Gruffalo® of course!
The latest UK 50p celebrates Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s timeless tale, paying tribute to the Gruffalo’s bestselling sequel – The Gruffalo’s Child. Following in the footsteps of the hugely popular 2019 Gruffalo coins, the 2024 The Gruffalo’s Child 50p is sure to delight collectors and fans of the Gruffalo series.
An adorable design
On her quest to find the mysterious Big Bad Mouse, the Gruffalo’s Child comes across several cunning creatures who send her deeper and deeper into the snowy woods, until she eventually finds what she’s searching for. Finally, she meets a mouse, who says he can beckon the Big Bad Mouse, and the Gruffalo’s Child waits, terrified, for it to appear.
The reverse design of the 2024 The Gruffalo’s Child 50p brings this encounter to life, with the mouse sporting a sneaky smirk and the Gruffalo’s Child anxiously anticipating the arrival of the Big Bad Mouse, Stick Man in hand. If you look closely, you’ll even see footprints in the snow and intricate details on the trees in the background.
Is The Gruffalo the UK’s best-loved 50p?
The Gruffalo stories have captured the hearts of readers ever since the first book was published in 1999, and the short film adaptations have also become somewhat of a festive favourite. With such a large following, it’s no surprise that collectors were delighted to see The Gruffalo feature on a UK 50p for the first time in 2019 – celebrating its 20th anniversary. The first Gruffalo 50p quickly became one of the most sought-after 50ps of recent years.
Following the success of the first release, The Royal Mint treated collectors to a second Gruffalo 50p in October 2019 – this time featuring the Gruffalo and Mouse. Similarly to the first Gruffalo 50p, the Gruffalo and Mouse 50p was also incredibly popular with collectors.
Previous Gruffalo coins have been some of the most popular releases in UK 50p history, with silver coins selling out within mere hours! In fact, even the Brilliant Uncirculated coins have all been snapped up by collectors, meaning demand for this new release is already exceptionally high.
Secure your 2024 UK The Gruffalo’s Child 50p >>
Are you one of the lucky ones?
Are you one of the collectors who has a 2019 Gruffalo 50p tucked away in your collection? If so, consider yourself very lucky! It’s these collectors who’ll likely be the first to want to get their hands on the 2024 The Gruffalo’s Child 50p, so you’ll have to be quick to secure yours.
Given the overwhelming success of the previous Gruffalo 50ps and other literary themed coins such as the Beatrix Potter 50ps and more recently, the Harry Potter 50ps – the 2024 The Gruffalo’s Child 50p is set to be highly sought after.
Secure your 2024 UK The Gruffalo’s Child 50p
Secure your 2024 UK The Gruffalo’s Child 50p for just £5.99 (+p&p) >>
The importance of security features on UK coins
When it comes to the coins jingling in your pocket, the Royal Mint employs a number of sophisticated techniques to ensure each coin is secure and genuine.
But how much do you actually know about the security features that keep your coins safe?
Visible security features
Bi-metallic design
The distinctive bi-metallic design seen in coins like the twelve sided £1 coin and post 1997 £2 coins is not just an aesthetic choice, but an advanced security feature. The combination of two different metals – a nickel-brass outer ring and a cupronickel inner core – increases the complexity of the minting process, making fraud significantly more challenging.
Milled edges and edge lettering
First introduced by the Royal Mint in the 1660s, the complex process of adding milled (grooved) edges or edge lettering to UK coinage not only provides a high degree of visual security, but also makes the coins difficult to counterfeit accurately.
Lenticular features
Special lenticular imaging is another ingenious feature incorporated into some UK coinage. This involves an image that changes appearance when the coin is titled at different angles. The bi-metallic £1 coin, first issued in 2017, showcases this feature beautifully. When tilted, the pound sign (£) changes to the number one (1), creating a dynamic visual effect that is not only mesmerising but also serves as a powerful deterrent against counterfeiters.
Fine engraving, design decisions and micro-lettering
The introduction of new cutting techniques for steel tooling, combined with advancements in computer-aided modelling, has enabled coin designers to incorporate previously unattainable details. These details are as complex as those on a banknote but benefit from being three-dimensional.
Some bi-metallic coin designs extend across both the inner and outer sections of the coin, adding a layer of complexity that helps deter forgery.
Certain coins even include micro-lettering, an advanced design feature that’s hard to produce with consistent quality. For example, the lower inside rims of both the obverse and the reverse of the twelve sided £1 coin feature micro-lettering.
Shape
The introduction of the dodecagonal (twelve sided) £1, first issued in 2017, serves as another security feature. The distinctive shape of the coin makes it much more difficult to counterfeit compared to the previous round pound design.
Hidden Security Features
Secret messages (Electromagnetic signature)
Some new coins are fitted with a special plating that contains an electromagnetic signature (EMS). When passed through a small electromagnetic field, each coin creates ripples or other disturbances that can be detected and analysed. Different combinations of size and metal cause distinct patterns when the coins are passed through such a field. The distinct pattern of a particular coin is called its ‘electronic signature’.
‘Hidden’ unknown security feature
The Royal Mint announced that the twelve sided £1 coin includes a secret ‘High Security Feature’ which is even more advanced than an Electromagnetic Signature. Details of this feature are top secret, but it’s thought to involve material within the plating layer of the coin which can be detected when electronically scanned by coin-counting or payment machines.
Find out more about your coins
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use!
Olympic Gold Medallist Signs Team GB 50ps for Change Checker!
2024 is shaping up to be an unforgettable Summer of Sport, as our Team GB athletes secured an incredible 65 medals – including 14 Golds – in the Olympic Games in Paris.
And it doesn’t stop there, as next week we look forward to the Paralympic Games and cheer on our ParalympicsGB team in their quest for sporting success.
Team GB 50ps going for gold
*** SOLD OUT IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS ***
We’ve certainly got Olympic Fever here at Change Checker HQ, so you can imagine just how excited we were to team up with none other than a 2024 Gold Medallist to sign the Team GB 50p coins!
Not just a Gold Medallist, but the man chosen to be the Team GB flag bearer at the Paris 2024 closing ceremony!
I’m talking about the incredible Triathlon Gold Medal winner, Alex Yee.
You’ll remember that he was the man falling further and further behind the leader during the Triathlon, with commentators concerned he might not be able to hold on to silver, only to put on the burners and win an incredible gold medal!
We joined forces with Alex to bring you the exclusive Signed 2024 UK Team GB 50p.
Alex Yee has just finished signing the first few pieces over in America where he’s also won the Supertri Boston Triathlon!
SOLD OUT in 90 minutes
Just 500 signed Team GB 50ps will ever be available, and they SOLD OUT in just 90 minutes on pre-order!
Alex Yee’s unforgettable triumph in Paris has already secured his place among Britain’s sporting greats and 500 lucky collectors now own a tangible memory of this historic moment.
Can you think of a better way of owning the official UK Team GB 50p than it being signed by our flag bearer and Olympic Gold Medallist?
And, as well as looking ahead to the start of the Paralympic Games next week, these coins are the perfect way to celebrate Britain’s sporting success this summer.
Missed out?
If you weren’t one of the lucky 500 collectors to secure a signed Team GB 50p, fear not! You can still secure a piece of Olympic history, with the Limited Edition Signed Olympic Print.
Signed by five of Britain’s most legendary Olympic Gold Medallists: Sebastian Coe, Duncan Goodhew, Tessa Sanderson, Daley Thompson, and Allan Wells – this is a true collectors item!
