Coin News
BRAND NEW Winnie the Pooh 50p Series Released – could these be the most sought-after 50ps yet?
“It isn’t much good having anything exciting, if you can’t share it with somebody.” said Winnie the Pooh
In 2020, The Royal Mint announced a brand new 9-coin 50p collection celebrating the beloved Winnie the Pooh books!
The final coin in the collection has now been released, celebrating Britain’s best-loved bear and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.
2022 UK Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p
As the perfect way to round off the collection, this final coin features a heart-warming design of Winnie and his friends – including Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger – together in the Hundred Acre Wood.
The nostalgic coin brings to life the classic illustrations by E.H. Shepard from the much-loved children’s novels – celebrating over 95 years of fun-filled adventures.
If you look closely, a buzzing bumblebee can even be seen flying across the coin as a unifying feature across each 50p in the series.
Today, you can welcome this brand new 50p into your collection for JUST £4.99 (+p&p), by clicking here >>
Your coin has been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to ensure that its superior quality is preserved forever.
2022 UK Kanga and Roo 50p
The sweet, gentle, and kind-hearted Kanga has joined the Winnie the Pooh 50p collection, accompanied by her adventurous son, Roo.
The nostalgic reverse design featuring these delightful characters brings to life the classic illustrations by E.H. Shepard from the much-loved children’s novels.
Kanga was based off Christopher Robin’s real-life stuffed animal and in A. A. Milne’s stories, E. H. Shepard illustrates her with brown fur all over. Although kangaroos traditionally have a ‘pouch’, A. A. Milne describes Kanga’s as a ‘pocket’, in which her son Roo is often safely tucked into.
And now, you can tuck this brand new 50p straight into your collection, for JUST £4.99 (+p&p), by clicking here >>
Your coin has been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to ensure that its superior quality is preserved forever.
2022 UK Eeyore 50p
The clever, brilliant, and witty Eeyore also joined his friends in the Winnie the Pooh 50p collection, with his tail firmly attached!
Featuring a design taken from E. H. Shepard’s original illustrations, this 50p shows the loveable, old, grey stuffed donkey, just as we remember him from A. A. Milne’s books.
Although famous for his melancholic nature, Eeyore’s loyalty always wins the hearts of his friends from Hundred Acre Wood, especially when he loses his tail.
And he’s been winning over the hearts of collectors up and down the country with this brand new 50p!
Certain to rival the popularity of the previous Winnie the Pooh 50p coins, this brand new coin has been issued in Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
Secure this brand new coin for your collection for JUST £4.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
2021 Tigger, Owl, and Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p coins
Last year’s additions to the Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection saw Owl and Tigger join their friends from Hundred Acre Wood on the 50p.
On the design of the Tigger 50p, we see the bouncy character hopping around just as he does in E. H. Shepard’s original illustrations – on all four legs!
Sitting tall and proud on his 50p, Owl can be seen with quill and paper at the ready. Always on hand to share his advice (even when it may not be wanted!), Owl is the wisest inhabitant of Hundred Acre Wood.
We also saw all the main characters from A. A. Milne‘s classic tale feature on one 50p together. The Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p proved a huge hit with coin collectors and fans of the books too!
2020 Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet 50p Coins
The first three coins in the series feature designs of Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet and were some of the most sought-after coins of the year!
First in the series we saw Winnie the Pooh himself, just as we remember him, with a reverse design by The Walt Disney Company which features an original illustration from the Winnie the Pooh storybooks by E.H. Shepard.
Following closely behind we see Pooh’s most-trusted companion and friend, Christopher Robin, who featured on the second 50p in the 2020 series! Concluding the 2020 series, the character with the biggest heart in all of Hundred Acre Wood, Piglet, made his UK 50p debut.
If you’re yet to secure the coins in the Winnie the Pooh 50p collection, you can browse the range here >>
The Story Behind the Classic
Winnie the Pooh was a collection of short stories first published in 1926 by A.A. Milne, for his son, Christopher Robin.
Most of Christopher Robin’s real life toys were the inspiration for A.A. Milne’s characters, but most significantly his favourite teddy bear which Winnie the Pooh himself is based on!
Alongside Winnie the Pooh, the fictional Hundred-Acre-Wood is inhabited by:
- The timid but sometimes brave, Piglet
- The glum but loveable donkey, Eeyore
- The bouncy, one-of-a-king, Tigger
- The loving and gentle, Kanga and her baby Roo
- The terribly organised Rabbit,
- The wise, old, Owl, and
- The scary, honey-stealing Heffalumps!
The timeless and universal appeal of this silly old bear is unparalleled. He’s featured in 3 books, various film adaptations, and much much more.
And now we see the best-loved characters from the books feature together on the nation’s best-loved coin, the 50p.
Could these 50p coins become the most sought-after issues?
We’ve seen some incredible character 50ps in the past, which have been a world-wide hit with collectors.
In 2019, to mark the 20th Anniversary of Julia Donaldson’s much-loved children’s book The Gruffalo®, a new 50p was issued.
This coin was so popular that the silver-proof version completely SOLD OUT at the Royal Mint within 12 hours of its release, making it the fastest selling and most popular 50p ever. That’s a 50p sold every 2 seconds!
We’ve also seen the huge popularity of the Beatrix Potter 50ps, issued to celebrate the life and work of Beatrix Potter and the 150th Anniversary of her birth.
These coins were so popular amongst collectors, they reached heights that hadn’t been seen since the 2011 Olympic 50p series. Collectors of all ages were racing to add these coins to their collections and to gift them to friends and family.
And now that a new series has been issued featuring an all-time favourite childhood character, could we see these coins becoming even more popular than the likes of the 50ps mentioned above?
This brand new and final coin in the series is sure to be a hit with coin collectors and Winnie the Pooh fans alike!
Do you have the full collection of Winnie the Pooh 50ps? Comment below!
Fill the gaps in your Winnie the Pooh Collection!
With all 9 coins now available to own in Brilliant Uncirculated quality and prices starting from just £4.99 (+p&p), don’t miss this chance to complete this wonderful collection of 50ps.
Click here to browse the full range >>
Your coins will come protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to ensure that their superior quality is preserved for generations to come.
©Disney. Based on the “Winnie the Pooh” works by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard.
The History of the UK Banknote…
The UK banknotes have gone through some big changes since they were first introduced but do you know the story behind them?
In this blog, we guide you through the history of UK banknotes as we take a look at just how far they’ve come…
7th Century – China
The first recorded use of ‘paper’ money was in China back in the seventh century! However, it was until over a thousand years later that paper money made its way to Europe.
16th Century – Goldsmith-Bankers
In the 16th century, the goldsmith-bankers would issue receipts for cash, known as ‘running cash notes’. They were made out in the name of the depositor and also carried the words, ‘or bearer’, after the name of the depositor.
This similar phrase still appears on British banknotes today: “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of…”
1694 – Bank of England
When the Bank of England was established in 1694 to raise money for King William III’s war effort, they issued notes in exchange for deposits. These were the first recorded bank notes to feature a cashier’s signature!
18th Century – Fixed Denominations
The issuing of fixed denomination notes first started in the 18th century. Notes were printed with the pound sign and the first digit included, but any following digits were then added by hand!
By 1745, notes were issued in denominations ranging from £20 to £1,000 but it wasn’t until 1759, as a result of gold shortages caused by the seven years of war, that a £10 note was issued.
The £5 note followed in 1793 at the start of the war against Revolutionary France and by 1797 the £1 and £2 notes were issued.
1853- Fully Printed
In 1853, the first fully printed banknotes were introduced, meaning hand-written denominations on notes were phased out.
Early 20th Century – 10 Shilling Note
During the First World War, the link between notes and gold was broken. The government needed to preserve bullion stocks and so the Bank stopped paying out gold for its notes.
In 1914 the Treasury printed and issued 10 shilling and £1 notes and in 1931, Britain left the gold standard.
Late 20th Century – Feature of Historical Figures
The late 20th century saw the first introduction of historical figures on the designs of UK banknotes. Since 1970, we’ve seen figures including scientist Isaac Newton, composer Edward Elgar and nurse Florence Nightingale featured on our banknotes.
21st Century – Polymer notes and BAME figures
In the 21st century we have seen the introduction of the polymer £5, £10 and £20 banknote, as a cleaner, safer and stronger alternative to the paper notes.
These notes have become incredibly popular with collectors, with some polymer £20 notes fetching far over their face value on the secondary market!
However, a lack of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) figures being recognised on legal tender led to campaigning for greater inclusivity in 2020.
These campaigns come after Chancellor Rishi Sunak stated he was considering proposals from a campaign group. He has since asked the Royal Mint to come up withnew designs honouring BAME figures who have served the nation – such as military figures and nurses.
Whilst details of these figures and designs remain under consideration, we look forward to hearing more as the story unfolds.
Did you know how far back in history our banknotes date? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the last-ever £1 banknote to your collection!
Click here to secure your piece of British Numismatic history for just £10 (+p&p) >>
Is time up for our 2ps? Production of 2p and £2 coins could be halted for the next 10 years!
In March 2015, the UK treasury confirmed that 1p and 2p coins will continue to be used “for years to come”. However, it has recently been suggested that due to a cash usage slump, The Royal Mint is set to go ten years without producing anymore 2p coins!
But it’s not just our coppers at stake.. The same applies for £2 coins, as it has been revealed that in March 2020, The Royal Mint was sitting on 26 times as many £2 coins as it needed to.
According to the National Audit Office’s report into Britain’s cash usage, the number of coins produced each year by The Royal Mint fell by nearly two-thirds between 2011 and this year.
Less than a quarter of all payments were made by cash last year, according to figures released in June by the banking trade body UK Finance.
It’s fair to assume that even less cash has been used since the start of 2020 due to the coronavirus leading to fears of cash usage and a move to more contactless payments.
However, The Mint told Britain’s spending watchdog that there had been ‘sharp increases in demand’ for change ‘as many businesses and consumers hoarded coins in the early months of the pandemic’.
As a result, the Treasury ordered The Royal Mint to strike 60 million additional 1p coins over the summer to meet this new demand. So make sure you keep your eyes peeled for these new 1p coins, especially if you’re collecting dateruns!
The Royal Mint are required to forecast the demand for small change to ensure it keeps enough coins in stock without striking too few or too many, but with significant fluctuations in consumer behaviour in recent years, this has no doubt been a challenge.
In 2017, after the introduction of the new 12-sided £1, The Royal Mint saw a swell in its coin stocks as people rushed to return their round pounds, ending up returning loose change of other denominations at the same time.
According to the NAO, at the end of March, The Royal Mint aimed to hold 700,000 £2 coins, but actually held 18.7million. And rather than holding its target of 15.9million 2p coins, it held 127.1million.
As a result, in March of this year, The NAO said The Royal Mint had estimated ‘it did not envisage producing any new 2p or £2 coins for at least 10 years’.
We haven’t seen a £2 enter circulation since 2016, so, could this mean that those 2016 dated £2s and 2017 dated 2p coins are the last of their kind? We certainly hope not.
But what about our coppers? Do you think we still need 1p and 2p coins in circulation? Have your say by voting in our poll on Facebook.
And what could the future for Britain’s definitive coinage be if the 1p and 2p coins were removed? Currently the definitive coins from 1p to 50p come together to create The Royal Shield, but with two key pieces missing, could this lead to a complete re-design?
We’d love to hear what you think about the use of cash vs card and the demand for our smaller denominations, so leave us a comment below to share your thoughts.
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