2016 Beatrix Potter 50p
The 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p is a circulating 50p with 6.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2016
- Circulation mintage
- 6,900,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Emma Noble
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p worth?
6.9 million were made, so the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p rare?
- No. 6.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p coins were made?
- 6,900,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p?
- The design is credited to Emma Noble.
- What is the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p was made
Beatrix Potter, born on 28 July 1866, grew up in London and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District that shaped her love of the countryside. A careful observer of nature, she made detailed scientific studies of fungi alongside her animal drawings. Her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, came out in 1902 and was followed by more than 20 small tales that are still read to children today.
The success of her books allowed her to buy Hill Top farm near Sawrey in the Lake District. In later life she devoted herself to farming, bred Herdwick sheep and bought land to protect the landscape she loved. She married the solicitor William Heelis in 1913 and lived the rest of her life in the Lake District. She died in December 1943. For the 150th anniversary of her birth in 2016 the Royal Mint issued this portrait coin alongside four coins showing her characters, all designed by Emma Noble. Some 6,900,000 of the portrait design were struck for circulation, placing it third of the five.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a portrait of Beatrix Potter with Peter Rabbit below her, along with her name and the years 1866 and 1943, marking her birth and death. It is the only one of the five 2016 Potter 50ps to show the author herself, so a human face is the giveaway. Check that the years 1866 and 1943 are present, which confirms it is the anniversary portrait coin. Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen is on the obverse, which means this coin carries a portrait of a woman on each side. Like all modern 50ps it is 27.3 mm across with a plain edge. Emma Noble designed it.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2016 Beatrix Potter 50p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p ranks 54th lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1994 D-Day Landings 50p (6.71 million); the next more common is the 2013 Christopher Ironside 50p (7 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 13 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 63 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2016 with 6 other circulating 50p designs: the Jemima Puddle-Duck (2.1 million), the Squirrel Nutkin (5 million), the Team GB (6.4 million), the Battle of Hastings (6.7 million), the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle (8.8 million) and the Peter Rabbit (9.7 million). 4 of them had a smaller run.
Within the circulating Beatrix Potter 50p coins, it ranks 7th scarcest, behind the Flopsy Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tittlemouse and others.
What to check on your 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Beatrix Potter described above and carry the date 2016; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
At 6.9 million, the Beatrix Potter portrait coin sits in the middle of the five 2016 designs, below Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle but above Squirrel Nutkin and Jemima Puddle-Duck. Worn examples are face value coins. Because it marks the anniversary itself, many collectors see it as the centerpiece of the 2016 set. Check the fine detail in her face and hair, which flattens quickly. A coin kept from new has a clean, bright field, while one from change tends to show light scratches across the portrait.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2016 |
| Circulation mintage | 6,900,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Emma Noble |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2016 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p | 9,700,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p | 8,800,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Battle of Hastings 50p | 6,700,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Team GB 50p | 6,400,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Squirrel Nutkin 50p | 5,000,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p | 2,100,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two portraits on the Beatrix Potter 50p?
The reverse shows Beatrix Potter herself, marking the 150th anniversary of her birth, while the obverse carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the only 2016 Potter coin with the author on it rather than one of her characters.
What dates are on the Beatrix Potter 50p?
The reverse shows 1866 and 1943, the years of Potter's birth and death. The coin was issued in 2016 for the 150th anniversary of her birth and 6,900,000 were struck for circulation.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.