Coin News
Say Cheese! The much anticipated Wallace and Gromit 50p has just been released!
The eccentric inventor and his trusted canine friend have made their way back from the moon and onto a UK 50p to celebrate 30 years since their debut film, A Grand Day Out.
After weeks of anticipation, The Royal Mint has now released the first ever Wallace and Gromit 50p to celebrate 30 cracking years of the British Comedy duo.
Originally a small concept in Nick Park’s student sketchbook, Wallace and Gromit have become instantly recognisable stars of the silver screen!
The pair now feature in 4 stop-motion animation short films: A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993), A Close Shave (1995), A matter of Loaf a Death (2008) and the full-length feature film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, released in 2005.
An Original Nick Park Design
Excitingly, the reverse of this new 50p has been designed by none other than Nick Park himself!
The original artist behind the popular animation characters, Nick’s artwork has created a truly authentic design for the coin which is certain to be a hit with fans and collectors alike.
Featuring Wallace and Gromit peering out of the spaceship they took to the moon, fans will certainly resonate with this adaptation of the famous film scene.
What’s more, the initials ‘NP’ have been struck onto the design to confirm the design by Nick Park.
BU, Silver & Gold!
As of today the FIRST EVER Wallace and Gromit UK 50p has officially taken off!
The new coin is available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality in both Official Change Checker packaging and Royal Mint packaging.
A Silver Proof version of the coin has also been issued, featuring selected colour printing to really bring the design to life. Just 25,000 Silver Proof coins are available and given the popularity of Wallace and Gromit and the sell-out stories we’ve seen with other UK 50p issues this year (like The Gruffalo® 50p), collectors wanting one of these will certainly need to act quickly.
Excitingly, this 50p has also been issued in a Gold Proof design! Limited to just 630 pieces, this one is a real collector item.
From their first appearance in 1989 to their dedicated following today, Wallace and Gromit have become international cultural icons and a real staple of British-ness! Here at Change Checker we can’t think of a better way to celebrate such an important comedy duo than on a brand new UK coin.
Add the brand new Wallace and Gromit 50p to your collection!
This coin won’t be entering circulation, but has been released as a special commemorative issue.
Click here to secure this brand new UK coin in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
Brand New The Gruffalo and Mouse 50p released!
Have you heard the story about the mouse who took a walk in the deep dark wood and ended up on a Gruffalo® 50p coin?
The brand new Gruffalo 50p has officially been released today and this time the monstrous character has been joined by the wonderfully cunning Mouse from Julia Donaldson’s book.
This mouse might be small in stature, but the brand new 50p coin has beautifully captured the full details of the brave little character from the nation’s favourite bedtime story.
The reverse of the coin has been created by Magic Light Pictures, who also designed the first coin, released in February this year.
Change Checkers have been wondering what might feature on the new coin – from the fox to the owl and all the creatures that live in the deep dark wood.
But the wait is now over and I’m sure you’ll agree that the choice to feature the Mouse has resulted in a fantastic coin designed to illustrate the classic story of The Gruffalo.
Coin collectors across the UK have been eagerly awaiting the release of the second Gruffalo 50p following the announcement in August this year.
In recent years, 50ps themed around children’s literature have inspired a whole new generation of collectors, with new coin releases appealing to families, youngsters and fans of books, as well as traditional collectors.
The Gruffalo is no exception, and the release of the first coin at the start of the year sparked huge excitement across the UK.
So much so in fact, that the Silver Proof version of the coin SOLD OUT at The Royal Mint in just a few hours!
With over 13.5 million copies of The Gruffalo sold worldwide, the collectability of this coin is undeniable and I’m sure that collectors will be keen to get their claws on this one (warts and all!)
This coin won’t be entering circulation, but will be available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, which is the standard favoured amongst collectors, as well as coloured Silver Proof.
What do you think about the new Gruffalo and The Mouse 50p coin? And if you could design a new Gruffalo 50p, which characters would you choose to feature on the coin? Let us know in the comments below.
Own the brand new The Gruffalo and Mouse BU 50p!
You can now secure The Gruffalo and Mouse 50p in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality! So don’t miss out on your chance to add one to your collection.
Could there be a Mahatma Gandhi coin coming soon?
*2020 Update*
It has been confirmed that the first figure to be considered in a new series of UK coins that will recognise and celebrate BAME figures on UK currency will be Mahatma Gandhi.
This news comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak stated he was considering proposals from a campaign group. He has since asked the Royal Mint to come up with new designs honouring BAME figures who have served the nation – such as military figures and nurses.
A ‘Banknotes of Colour’ campaign is currently being led by former Conservative parliamentary candidate, Zehra Zaidi in efforts to see the better representation of non-white peoples on British currency.
Sajid Javid, Chancellor of the Exchequer has “asked the team at the Royal Mint to bring forward proposals for a new, commemorative coin of Gandhi.”
The news was revealed last week at the annual GG2 Leadership Awards event, which fell on the 150th birthday of Gandhi – a very fitting time for the announcement to be made.
Credit: Elliott & Fry , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Gandhi is most well known for leading the successful campaign for India’s independence, using nonviolent resistance which inspired human rights movements across the world.
However, he also has strong ties with London, having attended the University College of London law school in 1888.
Despite leaving for India after being called to the bar in 1891, he continued to return to London, right up until his final visit in 1931 where he attended a conference on the future of India.
If a coin were to be created to honour Gandhi, perhaps it would be issued in 2021 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of this final visit.
Credit: http://rena.wao.com/gandhi/jpg/MG26.jpg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chancellor Sajid Javid said that “We must always remember the values he [Gandhi] lived his life by… Gandhi taught us that power doesn’t just come from wealth or high office.”
What do you think the design should be if a new coin were to be issued to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi? Let us know in the comments below!
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app