Which 50p Coin Series are worth collecting?

Do you collect 50p coins? Perhaps you keep hold of commemorative 50ps you find in your change, or maybe you’ve built up a collection of brilliant uncirculated coins…

Whether you’re new to the hobby or you’re a seasoned collector, you might not know that some of your coins are part of a series – but which 50p series are worth collecting?

Olympic 50ps

Let’s kick off with perhaps the best known 50p coin series – the Olympic 50ps!

Back in 2011, to mark the 2012 Olympics being held in London, The Royal Mint issued 29 new 50p coins, each representing a different sport. With 29 new commemorative coin designs to look out for in circulation, the Olympic 50ps sparked many people’s interest in collecting coins.

2011 Olympic 50p Series
2011 Olympic 50p Series

Even now, 13 years on, 2011 holds the record for the most commemorative coin designs to enter circulation (30 designs in total including the WWF 50p released the same year).

It’s estimated that 75% of Olympic 50ps have been removed from circulation by collectors, but by checking your change and swapping with other collectors, it’s still possible to collect the complete set.

Find out more about the Olympic 50ps >>


Paddington 50ps

Another coin series that inspired many younger collectors is the Paddington 50p series. With 2 coins released in 2018 and a further 2 in 2019, this collection of 4 coins shows the beloved bear in front of some of London’s most iconic landmarks.

Timeline of the UK Paddington 50ps
Timeline of the UK Paddington 50ps

The first 2 coins were issued to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first appearance in Michael Bond’s classic childhood tale, with the first showing Paddington sat at his namesake train station.

2018 Paddington 50ps
2018 Paddington 50ps

He continued his adventures around London, visiting Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.

2019 Paddington 50ps
2019 Paddington 50ps

The 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p has the lowest mintage figure of the series, with only 5,001,000 in circulation, however it still ranks as common on our Scarcity Index.

Have you ever found any Paddington 50ps in your change? Let us know in the comments!

Are you missing any Paddington 50ps? Check out our Paddington range >>


Beatrix Potter 50ps

Thirteen Beatrix Potter 50ps were issued between 2016 and 2018, each featuring beloved characters from Potter’s enchanting tales. All of these coins entered circulation, however a further 2 Peter Rabbit 50ps were issued in 2019 and 2020 which did not enter circulation.

Beatrix Potter 50p series
Beatrix Potter 50p series

These coins caused a collecting frenzy in back in 2016 due to their unique theme, and were probably the most talked-about coins since the 2011 Olympic 50ps!

A lot of the Beatrix Potter 50ps will have been snapped up into collections by now, but it is still possible to find them in circulation – although you might be searching a while for the whole set!

Beatrix Potter 50p timeline
Beatrix Potter 50p timeline

Based solely on circulating mintage figures, the rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps are the Flopsy Bunny 50p and the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p, each with a mintage figure of just 1,400,000.

The most common coin in the series is the Benjamin Bunny 50p, which has a circulating mintage of 25,000,000. Aside from the 1973 European Economic Community 50p which had a mintage of 89,775,000, the Benjamin Bunny 50p has the highest commemorative 50p mintage figure, so you’ve probably come across one in your change at some point!

If you’re struggling to complete your collection, check out our Beatrix Potter range >>


Winnie the Pooh 50ps

In 2020, The Royal Mint announced a 9-coin 50p collection celebrating Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.

Winnie the Pooh 50p series
Winnie the Pooh 50p series

The designs were produced by The Walt Disney Company, featuring original illustrations from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks by E.H. Shepard.

The very first coin in the series, featuring Pooh sat beside an overturned pot of honey, was the first time that Winnie the Pooh had ever featured on a UK coin. It was so popular in fact, that all 18,000 silver proof 50p coins sold out in less than 12 hours! The excitement for this series didn’t stop there though, as the silver proof 2022 Eeyore 50p also sold out within just hours of issue at The Royal Mint.

Winnie the Pooh 50p timeline
Winnie the Pooh 50p timeline

Although the Winnie the Pooh 50ps didn’t enter circulation, they are still incredibly popular with collectors. Some people have even paid well over retail price for them on eBay to complete their collections.

If you have any gaps in your Winnie the Pooh 50p collection, check out which ones we still have available >>


The Snowman™ 50ps

The Snowman™ first appeared on a UK 50p back in 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale. Since then, there has been a new UK The Snowman™ 50p issued each year, and there are now 6 in the series.

UK The Snowman 50p series
UK The Snowman 50p series

Over the years, we’ve been treated to some of the most iconic scenes on our coins, taken from the original tale and even the 2012 film – The Snowman™ and The Snowdog™.

The Snowman™ has been seen sharing adventures with his friend, James, flying through the night sky, dancing under the northern lights and even cuddling up with The Snowdog™!

UK Snowman 50p timeline
UK Snowman 50p timeline

It’s become somewhat of a festive tradition for a new UK The Snowman™ 50p to be issued each year, and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas until it’s released.

Fill the gaps in your The Snowman™ 50p collection >>

Do you think there will be more The Snowman™ 50ps issued in years to come? Let us know below!


Which 50p series is your favourite?

Do you have any of these coins in your collection? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a complete set! We’d love to hear from you which 50p series is your favourite, so 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

National Storytelling Week – stories told through coins!

Today marks the start of National Storytelling Week, which is celebrated in February each year. It’s a great chance for people to share their own stories and listen to the stories told by others.

As part of the celebrations, we’ve taken a look at some UK coins that celebrate some of the very best storytellers.

William Shakespeare

One of the greatest storytellers and playwrights of all time, William Shakespeare, shot to fame during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre.

He wrote 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets and a variety of other pieces!

In 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary since his death, The Royal Mint issued a three-coin series, each taking inspiration from a theme of Shakespeare’s plays.

2016 Shakespeare £2 Series

This coin’s design was inspired by Shakespeare’s history plays, with an edge inscription that reads: “The Hollow Crown”, from his play “Richard II”.

Shakespeare Histories

The other £2 coins take inspiration from his Tragedies, with an inscription taken from Hamlet, and his comedies with this coin’s inscription reading ‘All the world’s a stage’ from As You Like It.

Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter’s enchanting tales of countryside characters, including Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle skyrocketed her to stardom. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 and it instantly became a best-seller!

And it was in 2016 that Peter Rabbit escaped from Mr. McGregor’s Garden and made his first debut on United Kingdom coinage.

Issued to celebrate 150 years since the birth of renowned Children’s author, Beatrix Potter, this 50p changed coin collecting forever.

2016 Beatrix Potter 50p

This series of coins continued into 2017, 2018 and 2019Fifteen Beatrix Potter coins have now been issued since 2016, each featuring one of Potter’s delightful characters, from Flopsy Bunny to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.

The title of the rarest of the Beatrix Potter 50p actually belongs to two coins! The 2018 Peter Rabbit and 2018 Flopsy Bunny both have a mintage of just 1.4 million!

Charles Dickens

A list of great story tellers wouldn’t be complete without Charles Dickens!

Dickens’ enchanting stories, vivid characters, and depiction of Victorian life are widely acknowledged across the world by critics and scholars alike and his novels and short stories continue to be widely popular to this day.

The reverse design of this £2 coin by Matthew Dent features Dickens’ recognizable profile crafted from the titles of his most famous works.

2012 Charles Dickens £2

This coin had a circulating mintage of 8,190,000 and is one of my personal favourites!

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie’s first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920 and it kick-started the nation’s love of her detective novels and murder mysteries.

In 2020, to mark 100 years since her first publication, The Royal Mint celebrated the world’s best-selling novelist with this £2 coin.

2020 Agatha Christie £2

David Lawrence’s design of this coin pays homage to Christie’s crime novels, with a piece of a jigsaw slotting into place and her signature at the bottom.

The coin also features the edge inscription ‘100 years of mystery 1920’-2020’ to mark this very special anniversary.

Sherlock Holmes 50p

In 2019, to mark 160 years since the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Royal Mint issued this 50p coin.

2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p

The prolific writer is best known for his incredibly popular detective stories featuring the fictional Sherlock Holmes™. It is said his works revolutionized the crime genre, and despite Doyle sharing an ambivalent relationship with his famous character, Holmes’ popularity resulted in Doyle becoming one of the best-paid authors of the time.

The reverse has been designed by Stephen Raw and features a silhouette of Sherlock smoking a pipe, surrounded by a few of his most-famous story titles.


Are there any other great storytellers you think should be celebrated on our UK coins? Comment below!


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UK’s FIRST-EVER Peter Rabbit™ £5 enters the cosy burrow of UK coinage!

“What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood?” – Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter stories span across generations, with each and every one of us having fond childhood memories of these wonderful characters.

Get ready to journey back to childhood as Change Checker is foot-thumpingly excited to reveal that the UK’s FIRST-EVER Peter Rabbit™ £5 coin is available to add to your collections!

Inspired by Beatrix Potter’s classic tales that have enchanted readers of all generations for more than 100 years, this brand new release is set to be incredibly popular amongst Beatrix Potter fans and collectors alike.

The reverse design by Ffion Gwillim perfectly captures a heart-warming scene from the original, much-loved Beatrix Potter stories.

To secure this UK FIRST for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, in official Change Checker packaging for JUST £10.99 (+p&p), simply click here >>

Since 2016, Peter Rabbit has encouraged a whole new generation to start collecting – featuring on not just one, but FIVE 50p coins in the Beatrix Potter series. And now the tale continues as Potter’s most famous character makes his debut appearance on a UK £5 coin.

Join us in this blog, as we journey down the cosy burrow of the Beatrix Potter series and explore the tale of the sought-after 50ps…

A Woman Ahead of Her Time

Beatrix Potter by Charles King, circa 1913. Source: National Portrait Gallery.

Beatrix Potter truly was a woman ahead of her time. Not only was she an accomplished children’s author and illustrator, she was a passionate and knowledgeable farmer and conservationist – long before it became popular.

Potter was always encouraged to draw, and she spent many hours of her childhood making intricate sketches of animals and plants, revealing an early fascination for the natural world that would continue throughout her life. 

However, it’s fair to say her enchanting tales of countryside characters, including Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle skyrocketed her to stardom. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 and it instantly became a best-seller!

The Series That Inspired a New Generation

The Complete Beatrix Potter 50p Series

It was in 2016 that Peter Rabbit escaped from Mr. McGregor’s garden and made his first debut on United Kingdom coinage.

Issued to celebrate 150 years since the birth of renowned Children’s author, Beatrix Potter, this 50p changed coin collecting forever.

This series of coins continued into 2017, 2018 and 2019Fifteen Beatrix Potter coins have now been issued since 2016, each featuring one of Potter’s delightful characters, from Flopsy Bunny to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.

Peter Rabbit is the only character to feature more than once in the Beatrix Potter 50p series, with no less than 5 coins issued to celebrated the nation’s favourite little rabbit.

In 2020, The Royal Mint confirmed that Peter Rabbit’s 50p tale had sadly come to an end with the issue of a brand new coin.

This means there are fifteen Beatrix Potter 50p coins to collect and now we’re delighted to see a brand new £5 coin has been added to the mix.

With Peter Rabbit proving to be one of the UK’s most popular characters to ever feature on UK coins, this new release is set to prove incredibly sought-after amongst Beatrix Potter fans and collectors alike.


Will you be securing this brand new £5 coin for your collection? Let us know in the comments below!


Secure the 2021 UK Peter Rabbit™ £5

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It has then been protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging with the all-important security hologram to guarantee its quality forever.

Own the 2021 UK Peter Rabbit™ £5 today in superior Collector Quality, for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>