2018 Snowman 50p
The 2018 Snowman 50p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2018
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Natasha Ratcliffe
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 2018 Snowman 50p worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 50 pence; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2018 Snowman 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2018 Snowman 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The brilliant uncirculated mintage was 170,705.
- Who designed the 2018 Snowman 50p?
- The design is credited to Natasha Ratcliffe.
- What is the 2018 Snowman 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 2018 Snowman 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2018 Snowman 50p was made
Raymond Briggs published The Snowman in 1978, a picture book told entirely through illustrations with no words at all. A boy builds a snowman that comes to life at midnight and the two of them share one magical night together. The 1982 animated film, with its song "Walking in the Air", turned the story into a Christmas television fixture in Britain. For the book's 40th anniversary in 2018 the Royal Mint released its first Snowman 50p, which grew into a festive series with new designs in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
None of the 2018 coins went to banks. The Royal Mint sold the design as a brilliant uncirculated coin in a presentation pack and 170,705 of those were struck. That figure matters for anyone checking their change: with no circulation mintage at all, every Snowman 50p you meet in a till began life in a pack before somebody opened it and spent it. It is legal tender and spends like any other 50p, so finding one in change does happen. It just happens rarely.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows the Snowman and James flying together through the night sky, the moment most people remember from the story. The Royal Mint designer Natasha Ratcliffe adapted the scene, drawing on Raymond Briggs's artwork. The obverse carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. To be sure which Snowman coin you have, look at the scene rather than the character: the 2019 coin shows the pair standing together in the snow, the 2020 coin has them hugging and the 2021 coin shows James drawing on the Snowman's mouth. Only the 2018 design puts them in the air. The year is the final check, since all four share the same seven-sided 50p blank and size.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2018 Snowman 50p by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2018 Snowman 50p because none were released to banks. The published brilliant uncirculated mintage is 170,705. It was the only collector-only 50p design dated 2018.
For comparison, the 50p coins that did reach change in 2018 were the Representation of the People Act (9 million), the Paddington at the Palace (5.9 million), the Paddington at the Station (5 million), the The Tailor of Gloucester (3.9 million), the Mrs Tittlemouse (1.7 million), the Flopsy Bunny (1.4 million) and the Peter Rabbit (1.4 million).
What to check on your 2018 Snowman 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the The Snowman described above and carry the date 2018; 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.
A brilliant uncirculated run of 170,705 sounds small next to the millions struck of circulating 50ps, but it counts pack coins rather than coins released into change, so the comparison is not like for like. Most survivors are still sealed. An unopened, undamaged pack carries a collector premium. A loose coin pulled from change usually shows scuffs on the Snowman's body and dulled high points, so it tends to sit between face value and a small premium. Pack coins keep full mint luster across the flat field with no contact marks, which makes a spent coin easy to spot beside one.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2018 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Brilliant uncirculated mintage | 170,705 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Natasha Ratcliffe |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2018 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Representation of the People Act 50p | 9,000,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Paddington at the Palace 50p | 5,901,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p | 5,001,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Tailor of Gloucester 50p | 3,900,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p | 1,700,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p | 1,400,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p | 1,400,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2018 Snowman 50p rare?
It is scarce in change because none were issued to banks. All 170,705 brilliant uncirculated coins were sold in packs, so a loose one has been taken out and spent. Sealed packs draw a collector premium; worn loose coins draw far less interest.
How many 2018 Snowman 50p coins were made?
The published brilliant uncirculated mintage is 170,705. There was no circulation mintage at all, which is why the coin is so rarely seen in a purse or till compared with the commemorative 50ps the Royal Mint sent to banks.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.