50p Coins
Which Beatrix Potter 50p Coins are the scarcest?
With Monday’s announcement of four new Beatrix Potter 50p coins leading to as many as 50,000 collectors queuing at The Royal Mint’s website to reserve the coins online, Change Checker can reveal which of last year’s 5 Beatrix Potter circulation 50p coins are currently the most sought after by collectors.
Using data unique collecting and swap data, Change Checker will be publishing its first-ever 50p “Scarcity Index” later this month but ahead of the full publication, we can give you a sneak preview as to which of last year’s Beatrix Potter 50p coins are currently most sought after by collectors.
How rare are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins?
Final mintages are yet to be published but the Change Checker “Scarcity Index” scores each of the UK’s 54 circulation 50p coin designs out of 100 to determine their relative scarcity.
Results suggest that Jemima Puddle-Duck is currently the 6th most difficult coin to find in your change, with Squirrel Nutkin coming in close behind. Peter Rabbit has certainly become easier over the last few months but still sits 20th out 54 issues.
How valuable are my Beatrix Potter 50p coins?
Currently you can still buy base metal collector versions of the Beatrix Potter 50p coins direct from the Royal Mint for £10 and Change Checker Certified Brilliant Uncirculated versions for £3.99, rather than wait to find them in your change. That has meant that their values have been pretty much capped.
But The Royal Mint has confirmed that they are not striking any more 2016 collector editions, which means that when current stocks of the Brilliant Uncirculated version are exhausted, collectors’ only choice will be to search for circulation versions.
So whilst the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p coins are not likely to follow the example of the ultra-rare Kew Gardens 50p, which achieves prices of between £70 and £100, collectors may see prices rise from around 6 times face value to somewhere between 10 and 12 times face value over the coming months.
But don’t forget, the joy of Change Checking is that you may receive a Beatrix Potter 50p coin in your change at any time for just its face value – 50p.
Revealed: Four new Beatrix Potter 50p coins
There is no doubt that the 2016 Beatrix Potter caused a collecting storm across the UK with collectors checking their change in an attempt to find a complete set of Beatrix Potter 50p’s. In fact the series has been so popular, the coins have dominated the news ever since they were revealed by The Royal Mint last year.
And now, 2017 is set to be another exciting year for Change Checkers with the release of FOUR BRAND NEW Beatrix Potter 50p’s.
Just revealed…
There were rumours last year about whether more Beatrix Potter themed 50ps would be issued… and they were true! We can now reveal the brand new designs for 2017…
Peter Rabbit
The 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p
The ‘Tale of Peter Rabbit’ was the first in a series of 23 little tales by Beatrix Potter. The inquisitive bunny is the star of the little tales and pops up in many of the other stories.
This brand new 50p is available right now in superior brilliant uncirculated quality and features Peter Rabbit in his iconic blue jacket that became the emblem of Beatrix Potter’s work.
Mr. Jeremy Fisher
The 2017 Mr. Jeremy Fisher 50p
Like many of the characters from the little tales, Jeremy Fisher began life in a letter which Beatrix Potter wrote while holidaying on the River Tay in Scotland.
The 50p features Mr. Jeremy Fisher in his waterproof makintosh and galoshes and collector quality versions are due to be released on the 5th June.
Tom Kitten
The 2017 Tom Kitten 50p
Tom Kitten was first introduced in 1907 when the ‘The Tale of Tom Kitten’ was published. The naughty kitten appeals to children everywhere with his antics and is another favourite character from the series.
The collector version Tom Kitten 50p will be available from 31st July and features the original illustration of Tom Kitten from the front cover of Beatrix Potter’s book.
Benjamin Bunny
The 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p
‘The tale of Benjamin Bunny’ published in 1904, was written from scratch by Beatrix Potter. She even borrowed a cat to create new sketches for the illustrated tale.
The 50p features Benjamin Bunny dressed in his little brown jacket and over-sized tam-o’-shanter, this coin will be available in September in superior brilliant uncirculated quality.
I’m sure you’ll agree, these four coins are the perfect continuation of the series, and really capture the nostalgic charm of Beatrix Potter’s original stories. Emma Noble has designed all four coins which have been issued to carry on the celebrations of some of Beatrix Potter’s most loved animals.
There is no date as of yet to when these 50p’s will be released into circulation but we’ll be sure to update you as soon as we can. The first series of 50p’s issued in 2016 proved to be extremely popular with collectors nationwide, so it is no doubt that the second series of 50p’s will be just as sought after.
Avoid the long wait to find the Peter Rabbit 50p coin in your change by securing the Brilliant Uncirculated issue today for just £3.99 (+p&p).
The truth behind the Beatrix Potter 50ps
The Beatrix Potter 50p series has dominated the news ever since the coins were revealed by The Royal Mint last year. In fact, they have been the biggest story in 50p collecting since the London Olympics!
So today I’m going to debunk some of the myths you may have heard about the 50p’s and bring you the truth behind the Beatrix Potter 50p coins…
Homeless man handed ‘rare 50p coin that could be worth thousands’
Earlier this year a homeless man hit the headlines after he was given a Peter Rabbit 50p. According to the article, the 50p was worth thousands as it was listed on a ‘Buy it now’ listing on eBay at £10,000.
There have been plenty of misconceptions surrounding the value of the Beatrix Potter 50p’s released into circulation last year. This is mainly down to sensational headlines and misreporting of certain key facts.
The first thing to bear in mind is that three different types of Beatrix Potter 50ps were issued by The Royal Mint:
Three types of Peter Rabbit 50p’s were issued by The Royal Mint: The Silver Coloured 50p, the Brilliant Uncirculated 50p and the circulation 50p
The Silver Proof Coloured 50p:
The Silver 50p crashed the Royal Mint’s website
The first silver coloured 50p to be released by the Royal Mint was Peter Rabbit.
This coin was so popular that by mid-morning The Royal Mint’s website crashed under the sheer weight of public interest. Not long after, all 15,000 coins completely sold out and therefore getting hold of one now is extremely difficult.
In fact if you want one of the limited edition Silver coloured Peter Rabbit 50p’s you can expect to pay no less than £400.
The sell out of this coin consolidated demand and interest for the base metal Peter Rabbit coin, as well as the four further issues of 2016 – Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck and the Beatrix Potter 150th Anniversary 50p.
Brilliant Uncirculated 50p Coins
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) coins are specially struck and handled by The Royal Mint to ensure the pristine unblemished finish that collectors value.
They also have a limited mintage and are therefore superior to circulating coins.
They are easy to tell apart from circulating coins if they are kept in good condition. So it is very unlikely to find these in your change as they are usually supplied in protective packaging.
Circulation 50ps
The circulation 50p coins are the coins you find in your change and this series of BeatrixPotter 50p’s will no doubt become some the most wanted circulating coins of all time.
In terms of mintage figures for the circulated version which can arrive in change, it is not clear the exact numbers of each coin – The Royal Mint have not yet published this information. That means it is not possible to know if one coin is rarer than another. However, the ‘rarest’ circulating 50p – with the Kew Gardens pagoda on it – had a mintage of 210,000 and these can sell for tidy sums online.
Although these coins can fetch slightly more than face value on online auction sites such as eBay, it’s important to remember that they are still available to buy brand new. In fact the most you need to pay is just £3.99.
Beatrix Potter 50p’s ‘with colour’
Be aware of privately enhanced coloured 50p’s. As pretty as these coins are, if you come across one, they are not a scarce collector’s item and they should not be mistaken for the sold out Coloured Silver Proof 50p’s. These coins are usually circulation quality that have been painted and varnished and therefore will not be accepted as payment in shops. As creative as these coins are I would go as far as saying they are coins that have been turned into trinkets.
What makes these 50p coins so special?
There is no doubt that the Beatrix Potter 50p’s have caused much excitement across the UK and we can see why they’re so popular.
Collectors all over the country have been checking their change in an attempt to find a complete collection of Beatrix Potter 50p coins and we don’t blame them. But as with anything rare and sought-after it’s worth getting as much knowledge as you can when coin collecting. So keep checking the blog and we’ll keep posting news when we have it to make sure you are as informed as possible!
Can’t wait to find them in your change?
The complete range of Beatrix Potter 50p coins are available now with prices starting from just £3.99.