With the release of the 2020 Peter Rabbit 50p Coin the Royal Mint have announced that this would be the last in the series which is a shame as there were a number of characters we would have loved to see as 50p coins. Who wouldn’t want a 50p coin with a portrait of Tommy Brock the irritable Badger, Samual Whiskers a rat who’s full name is Samuel Jeremiah Bartholomew Edmond Cornelius Whiskers, and Mr Tod the Red Fox, to name but a few.
The series consists of 15 coins each featuring one of Potter’s delightful characters, and even a special coin which includes elements celebrating Beatrix as the artist behind some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature.
The Royal Mint released five coins marking the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter and designed by Emma Noble in 2016 and they were the Beatrix Potter Anniversary 50p, Peter Rabbit 50p, Jemima Puddle Duck 50p, Mrs Tiggy Winkle 50p, and Squirrel Nutkin 50p. Of these releases Jemima Puddle-Duck had the lowest minted figure at 2,100,000 and can cost around £11 to pick up on the secondary market.
Due to their success, The Royal Mint released a further 4 50p coins and these were Peter Rabbit 50p, Tom Kitten 50p, Jeremy Fisher 50p, and Benjamin Bunny 50p. This increase in popularity had an effect on the mintage figures with Tom Kitten being the least at 9,500,000 and Benjamin Bunny having the most at a whopping 25,000,000.
A further 4 Beatrix Potter 50p coins were released in 2018 and these were Peter Rabbit 50p, Flopsy Bunny 50p, Mrs Tittlemouse 50p, and The Tailor of Gloucester 50p. With the exception of Tailor of Gloucester, the other 3 coins were the lowest mintage of the series. With Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny being the lowest with 1,400,000 and Mrs Tittlemouse at 1,700,000.
The final two Beatrix Potter releases were both Peter Rabbit and they were the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p and 2020 Peter Rabbit 50p which were uncirculated and could only be bought in presentation packs. If someone accidentally breaks them out of their packaging you may find one in your change!
