© Provided by The i The 2018 Peter Rabbit design was revealed as the 6th rarest 50p coin by the Royal Mint (Photo: PA)
Many versions of the 50p have been issued, but few have the potential to raise a smile like the Peter Rabbit coin.
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. Beatrix Potter 50p 2017 and 2018. Because of the popularity of the 2016 series, the Royal Mint released two more collections in 2017 and 2018. The 2017 series had four coins, three of which honoured more of Beatrix's characters, Mr Jeremy Fisher, Tom Kitten, and Benjamin Bunny. There were five Beatrix Potter 50ps issued in 2016, including the incredibly popular Jemima Puddle-Duck, which, for a long time, was considered the rarest Beatrix Potter coin in circulation. She was also joined by fellow characters Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Squirrel Nutkin.
And while the whimsical designs can transport us back to our childhood, the Beatrix Potter coins can also be sought after by collectors.
The Royal Mint has revealed the rarest 50p coins in circulation ahead of the 50th anniversary of decimilisation, with the Peter Rabbit coin among the scarcest.
Here's how it compares to other low-mintage designs, including other Beatrix Potter tributes, and which coins you should look out for.
© Provided by The i The rare 2018 Peter Rabbit design depicts the character chomping on a radish (Photo: PA)How rare is the Peter Rabbit 50p coin?
There are actually various iterations of the Peter Rabbit 50p coin, and the scarcity varies wildly from version to version.
By far the rarest example is the 2018 coin, with a mintage of 1,400,000, which puts it sixth on the Royal Mint's top 10 rankings alongside the Flopsy Bunny 50p from the same year.
In contrast, the 2016 Peter Rabbit coin is comparatively common, with a mintage of 9,700,000, while the 2017 version was minted 19,900,000 times.
The 2016 design was introduced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter, featuring the beloved children's book character in an up-close, front-on portratit with prominent whiskers.
Following the popularity of this coin, the more common 2017 edition depicted Peter side-on as he hopped towards adventure.
The 2018 edition – the rarest to look out for – shows the rabbit as he was painted by the author, happily biting into radishes in the garden of the curmudgeonly Mr McGregor.
A further commemorative edition of the Peter Rabbit 50p was released in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the coin.
There are other relatively rare Beatrix Potter 50p coins in circulation, with the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse and 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck designs having mintages of 1,700,000 and 2,100,000 respectively.
The most common coins in circulation have a mintage in the tens or even hundreds of millions – the 1997 Britannia 50p, for example, was minted 456,364,100 times.
© Provided by The i The Flopsy Bunny 50p is equally as rare as the Peter Rabbit design (Photo: PA)What are the rarest 50p coins in circulation?
As well as the Beatrix Potter designs, the Royal Mint's list of the rarest 50p is dominated by the 2011 coins released to commemorate the London 2012 Olympics.
However, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p remains by far the rarest coin in circulation, with a mintage of just 210,000:
1. 2009 Kew Gardens, 210,000
2. 2011 Olympic Wrestling, 1,129,500
=3. 2011 Olympic Football, 1,161,500
=3. 2011 Olympic Judo, 1,161,500
5. 2011 Olympic Triathlon, 1,163,500
=6. 2018 Peter Rabbit, 1,400,000
=6. 2018 Flopsy Bunny, 1,400,000
8. 2011 Olympic Tennis, 1,454,000
9. 2011 Olympic Goalball, 1,615,500
10. 2011 Olympic Shooting, 1,656,500
How much are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins worth?
The rare coins website Change Checker has an eBay tracker, which details how some 50p coins can fetch significant sums in the secondary sale market.
According to this, the most valuable of the Beatrix Potter coins is actually the Jemima Puddle-Duck design, which fetched an average of £12.00 over the nine most recent completed eBay sales up to mid-January.
This is significantly behind the rarest Kew Gardens 50p coin, which reportedly attracted an average price of £156.00.
There are are no shortage sellers on eBay purporting to sell a range of rare 50p coins, which tend to offer the 2018 Peter Rabbit design for between £9 and £15.
It should be pointed out, as Change Checker states, the market in supposedly valuable coins 'can be a bit of a minefield,' and it's important to do your research before being taken in by viral stories of coins fetching huge sums.
Last year, for example, various reports claimed a Battle of Hastings 50p sold for £63,000 on eBay, supposedly because it was 'very rare'.
This coin was launched in 2016 to commemorate the famous battle's 950th anniversary, with as many as 6.7 million entering circulation.
Speaking to The Mirror, Alexandra Fiddons from Change Checker wasn't able to explain exactly why the coin would sell for such a purportedly high fee, but said that sometimes 'random coins' do reach surprising prices.
While some coins can fetch sums comfortably above their 50p value, often it is 'error coins' – versions which found their way into circulation after being minted with mistakes – which are particularly valued by collectors.
© Provided by The i The Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny designs were named among the rarest 50p coins by the Royal Mint (Photo: PA)While many versions of the 50p coin have been issued, few designs raise a smile like those released to commemorate the beloved children's author Beatrix Potter.
Various characters have been honoured over the years, with some of the coins issued in smaller mintages, which makes them more valued by collectors.
The Royal Mint has revealed the rarest 50p coins in circulation ahead of the 50th anniversary of decimalisation, which included two of the Beatrix Potter designs.
Here are the coins to look out for in your own loose change, and how they compare to some of the rarest coins in circulation.
© Provided by The i Two Beatrix Potter designs were named among the rarest 50p coins by the Royal Mint (Photo: PA)How rare are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins?
10. 2011 Olympic Shooting, 1,656,500
How much are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins worth?
The rare coins website Change Checker has an eBay tracker, which details how some 50p coins can fetch significant sums in the secondary sale market.
According to this, the most valuable of the Beatrix Potter coins is actually the Jemima Puddle-Duck design, which fetched an average of £12.00 over the nine most recent completed eBay sales up to mid-January.
This is significantly behind the rarest Kew Gardens 50p coin, which reportedly attracted an average price of £156.00.
There are are no shortage sellers on eBay purporting to sell a range of rare 50p coins, which tend to offer the 2018 Peter Rabbit design for between £9 and £15.
It should be pointed out, as Change Checker states, the market in supposedly valuable coins 'can be a bit of a minefield,' and it's important to do your research before being taken in by viral stories of coins fetching huge sums.
Last year, for example, various reports claimed a Battle of Hastings 50p sold for £63,000 on eBay, supposedly because it was 'very rare'.
This coin was launched in 2016 to commemorate the famous battle's 950th anniversary, with as many as 6.7 million entering circulation.
Speaking to The Mirror, Alexandra Fiddons from Change Checker wasn't able to explain exactly why the coin would sell for such a purportedly high fee, but said that sometimes 'random coins' do reach surprising prices.
While some coins can fetch sums comfortably above their 50p value, often it is 'error coins' – versions which found their way into circulation after being minted with mistakes – which are particularly valued by collectors.
© Provided by The i The Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny designs were named among the rarest 50p coins by the Royal Mint (Photo: PA)While many versions of the 50p coin have been issued, few designs raise a smile like those released to commemorate the beloved children's author Beatrix Potter.
Various characters have been honoured over the years, with some of the coins issued in smaller mintages, which makes them more valued by collectors.
The Royal Mint has revealed the rarest 50p coins in circulation ahead of the 50th anniversary of decimalisation, which included two of the Beatrix Potter designs.
Here are the coins to look out for in your own loose change, and how they compare to some of the rarest coins in circulation.
© Provided by The i Two Beatrix Potter designs were named among the rarest 50p coins by the Royal Mint (Photo: PA)How rare are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins?
Two of the Beatrix Potter collection make the Royal Mint's top 10 rankings – one adorned with the image of Peter Rabbit, the other with Flopsy Bunny.
Both were released into circulation in 2018, and have a mintage of 1,400,000, putting them in joint sixth position.
While there has only been one Flopsy Bunny 50p coin issued, the Peter Rabbit design is one of three, with the others – released in 2016 and 2017 – far more common.
There are other relatively rare Beatrix Potter coins, such as the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse coin with a circulation of 1,700,000, and the Jemima Puddle Duck design from 2016 at 2,100,000.
Others with a comparatively low mintage include the 2018 Tailor of Gloucester (3,900,000), and the 2016 Squirrel Nutkin (5,000,000), while the most common design is the 2017 Benjamin Button coin, with 25,000,000 released into circulation.
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p remains by far the rarest coin in circulation, with a mintage of just 210,000, while the most common, the 1997 Britannia 50p, has a circulation of 456,364,100 times. Here is the Royal Mint's full top 10:
1. 2009 Kew Gardens, 210,000
2. 2011 Olympic Wrestling, 1,129,500
=3. 2011 Olympic Football, 1,161,500
=3. 2011 Olympic Judo, 1,161,500
5. 2011 Olympic Triathlon, 1,163,500
=6. 2018 Peter Rabbit, 1,400,000
=6. 2018 Flopsy Bunny, 1,400,000
8. 2011 Olympic Tennis, 1,454,000
9. 2011 Olympic Goalball, 1,615,500
10. 2011 Olympic Shooting, 1,656,500
Are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins valuable?
Beatrix Potter Coins For Sale
The rare coins website Change Checker has an eBay tracker, which details how some 50p coins can fetch significant sums in the secondary sale market.
According to this, the most valuable of the Beatrix Potter coins is the Jemima Puddle-Duck design, which fetched an average of £12.00 over the nine most recent completed eBay sales up to mid-January.
Beatrix Potter Coins Worth
This is significantly behind the Kew Gardens 50p coin, which reportedly attracted an average price of £156.00.
There are are no shortage of sellers on eBay purporting to sell a range of rare 50p coins, which tend to offer the 2018 Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny designs for between £9 and £15.
It should be pointed out, as Change Checker states, the market in supposedly valuable coins 'can be a bit of a minefield,' and it's important to do your research before being taken in by viral stories of coins fetching huge sums.
Last year, for example, various reports claimed a Battle of Hastings 50p sold for £63,000 on eBay, supposedly because it was 'very rare'.
Beatrix Potter Coins Worth Money
This coin was launched in 2016 to commemorate the famous battle's 950th anniversary, with as many as 6.7 million entering circulation.
Speaking to The Mirror, Alexandra Fiddons from Change Checker wasn't able to explain exactly why the coin would sell for such a purportedly high fee, but said that sometimes 'random coins' do reach surprising prices.
While some coins can fetch sums comfortably above their 50p value, often it is 'error coins' – versions which found their way into circulation after being minted with mistakes – which are particularly valued by collectors.
