The Top 5 50p Coin Series and why you should be collecting them

Since the 50p coin was first introduced back in 1969, we’ve seen it change size, weight and obverse monarch. It’s become the go-to denomination for some fantastic series, but which 50p series are the most popular?

Here are Change Checker’s top 5 50p coin series that you need in your collection.

5. Paddington 50ps

Starting with Britain’s best loved bear, Paddington. This 50p series began in 2018 with the issue of two brand new coins entering circulation. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first book appearance, these two coins show Paddington outside Buckingham Palace and at Paddington Station.

2018 Paddington at the Palace 50p and 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p
2018 Paddington at the Palace 50p and 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p

The series was so popular that in 2019, a further two Paddington 50ps were issued. This time showing the marmalade loving bear tucking into his favourite snack outside the Tower of London and tipping his hat at St Paul’s Cathedral.

2019 Paddington at the Tower of London and 2019 Paddington at St Paul's Cathedral 50p
2019 Paddington at the Tower of London and 2019 Paddington at St Paul’s Cathedral 50p

These coins are some of the most popular issues in the last five years and with designs as charming as this, you can understand why.

4. Winnie the Pooh 50ps

Next up, we’ve got another adorable bear, Winnie the Pooh, who first appeared on a UK 50p in 2020. This was the first 50p in a nine coin series celebrating 95 years of fun filled adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Complete Winnie the Pooh 50p Series
Complete Winnie the Pooh 50p Series

These coins feature famous characters from the stories, such as Owl, Kanga & Roo, Piglet and Pooh himself. Despite not entering circulation, these coins have been in high demand, with some limited edition presentations selling out at The Royal Mint within just hours of release. But don’t worry if you missed out, you can browse Change Checker’s remaining Winnie the Pooh stock here >>

2022 Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, 2022 Kanga & Roo 50p and 2021 Owl 50p
2022 Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, 2022 Kanga & Roo 50p and 2021 Owl 50p

3. Innovation in Science Series

Now, cast your mind back to 2019 when The Royal Mint released the first coin their Innovation in Science Series, the Stephen Hawking 50p. It was a record breaking sell out success, with worldwide interest and news articles across the globe about this new coin.

2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p

The Stephen Hawking 50p was so popular that even her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II commented that it was one of her favourite coin designs.

It kick started a hugely popular coin series which later brought us the Insulin 50p, Alan Turing 50p, and Rosalind Franklin 50p, to name just a few.

2022 Alan Turing 50p

2. Beatrix Potter 50ps

In second place, we’ve got the incredibly popular Beatrix Potter 50ps. The first 50p, issued in 2016, featuring a charming design of Peter Rabbit inspired a whole new generation of collectors, appealing to children, their parents and grandparents.

Beatrix Potter 50ps
Beatrix Potter 50ps

The 2018 Flopsy Bunny and Peter Rabbit 50ps each had mintage figures of only 1.4 million, making them some of the rarest 50ps in circulation. The Beatrix Potter coins are some of the most collectable 50ps, so whichever ones you have in your collection, you should be very pleased.

2018 Flopsy Bunny 50ps and 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p
2018 Flopsy Bunny 50ps and 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p

1. 2012 Olympic 50ps

In the top spot, the most popular 50p series of all time is the 2012 Olympic 50ps. This series was issued to celebrate the games being hosted in London in 2012. All 29 of the 2012 Olympic 50ps entered circulation, and they’re some of the rarest 50ps out there.

2012 Olympic 50ps
2012 Olympic 50ps

The football 50p, which features a design of the hotly debated offside rule, has a circulating mintage of just 1.125 million. This makes it the second rarest 50p currently in circulation.

2012 Olympic Football 50p
2012 Olympic Football 50p

Five years ago, it was estimated that over 75% of the Olympic 50p coins were removed from circulation into private collections, meaning even less are now out there to find.

Are you lucky enough to have any of these popular 50ps in your collection? Let us know in the comments!

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Your top Winnie the Pooh 50p revealed!

Now that the Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection has concluded, with the 2022 UK Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, we wanted to know what your favourite design is!

And the results are in!

Vote Results

Coming out on top spot is the 2022 Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, taking 31% of the votes!

Issued in 2022, this coin features a design of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore, just as we remember them from A. A. Milne’s original books. The charming original illustrations from E. H. Shepard feature on all the 50p coins in the Winnie the Pooh coin collection.

These 50ps have been some of the most popular and in-demand coins of recent years, with thousands of collectors missing out on securing them in precious metal specifications.

Furthermore, the 2020 Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet 50p coins are no longer available at The Royal Mint, in any specifications.

Change Checker has a limited number of the 2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p coins remaining for collectors.

Fill the gaps in your collection before it’s too late! Click here to browse the complete Winnie the Pooh 50p range >>


Where did your favourite Winnie the Pooh 50p place in our vote? Let us know in the comments below!


Fill the gaps in your Winnie the Pooh 50p collection!

Everything you need to know about the Winnie the Pooh 50p series – before the last one is issued!

In 2020, The Royal Mint announced a brand new 9-coin 50p collection celebrating the beloved Winnie the Pooh books!

The series saw the loveable old bear, and his friends from Hundred Acre Wood, feature on 50p coins from 2020, through to 2022.

Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Showing 9 50p coins in a 3 by 3 grid.
Top row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet.
Middle row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Owl, and Tigger
Bottom row, from left to right: Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, and final coin showing a question mark.
The Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Browse the range here >>

But as the final coin in the series is set to be issued soon, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about the Winnie the Pooh 50p series…

Demand drives sell-outs

Despite the series starting in 2020, the demand for the Winnie the Pooh 50p coins is so high, that the 2022 Eeyore 50p sold out within just HOURS of issue at The Royal Mint.

In fact, this coin was so popular that some collectors were even prepared to pay over retail price on the secondary market site, eBay.

2022 Eeyore Silver Proof 50p sold listing on eBay - showing £99.95 sold price.
2022 UK Eeyore Silver Proof 50p sells for £99.95 on eBay. (eBay UK)

Whilst it’s important to remember that anyone can list anything on secondary market sites, for whatever price they wish, this sold listing confirms that there is serious appetite for the Winnie the Pooh 50p coins.

Reverse designs by The Walt Disney Company

First in the series we saw Winnie the Pooh himself, just as we remember him.

2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p. Shows Winnie the Pooh sat down, with an overturned pot of honey and a bumble bee.
Inscription reads: 'Winnie the Pooh', with Disney copyright in bottom left.
2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p

The coin’s reverse design was produced by The Walt Disney Company which features an original illustration from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks by E.H. Shepard.

Sitting alongside an overturned pot of honey, Winnie the Pooh can be seen gazing at a bumblebee – because as you know, where there’s honey, there’s bees…

This was the first time Winnie the Pooh had featured on a UK coin and it was so popular that all 18,000 Silver Proof 50p coins sold out in LESS THAN 12 HOURS.

Worldwide Popularity

Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), by A A Milne. 
Showing Rabbit, Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Kanga and Roo, Piglet, and Owl all walking in a line in tall grass.
Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), by A A Milne. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The timeless and universal appeal of this silly old bear and his friends is unparalleled. He’s featured in 3 books, various film adaptations, and much much more.

The first book was published on the 14th October 1926 and was an instant hit – selling 35,000 copies in the U.K. and over 150,000 copies in the U.S.

In fact, so popular is the book that it was translated in over 50 languages, including Catalan, Thai, Esperanto, and Latin.

Final coin to be most in demand Winnie the Pooh 50p yet

Given the popularity of the previous coins in the Winnie the Pooh 50p series, the last and FINAL coin is set to be in HIGH DEMAND.

Whilst details of the final coin remain top secret, you can get ahead of the crowd by signing up to the Change Checker 50p Subscription Service.

As soon as the brand new coin is issued, we will contact you to advise your order has been secured and your 50p will be with you soon. So, you just sit back and wait for your exciting new coin to arrive, without any of the hassle of ordering it yourself.

Better still, as you’ll be one of the first to have this coin guaranteed for your collection, you won’t have to worry about sitting in queues on launch days.

Sign-up for free today by clicking here and avoid missing out on one of the most popular coins of the year!

Browse the Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection

Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Showing 9 50p coins in a 3 by 3 grid.
Top row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet.
Middle row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Owl, and Tigger
Bottom row, from left to right: Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, and final coin showing a question mark.
The Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection

To browse the entire Winnie the Pooh 50p range so far, click here >>