2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p
The 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p is a circulating 50p with 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
- 2019
- Circulation mintage
- 9,001,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- David Knapton
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 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p worth?
9 million were made, so the 2019 Paddington at the Tower 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 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p rare?
- No. 9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p coins were made?
- 9,001,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p?
- The design is credited to David Knapton.
- What is the 2019 Paddington at the Tower 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 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p was made
Paddington at the Tower was the third coin in the Royal Mint's Paddington series, following the 2018 coins at Paddington Station and Buckingham Palace. It puts the bear outside the Tower of London, the fortress founded by William the Conqueror after 1066 that now guards the Crown Jewels. The landmark has a special link to British coins: the Royal Mint itself operated inside the Tower walls for centuries before moving out in the early 1800s. Few landmarks suit a coin better.
The coin was released in 2019 alongside Paddington at St Paul's, completing the set of four. Both 2019 coins had circulation mintages of 9,001,000, almost twice as many as the Station coin and noticeably more than the Palace coin. That larger run means you are more likely to find this Paddington in change than either of the 2018 pair. The series as a whole was one of the most popular 50p releases of its time. Paddington appeals to people of all ages, while the bear's tour of London made a natural collecting theme for families.
How to recognize it
David Knapton's design shows Paddington outside the Tower of London, holding a marmalade sandwich. That sandwich is a nod to the stories, in which Paddington keeps one tucked under his hat in case of emergencies. It is also the easiest way to tell this coin from the others: the Palace coin has a flag, the St Paul's coin shows him raising his hat and the Station coin shows him sitting indoors. The date reads 2019. The obverse shows the Queen as portrayed by Jody Clark. It is a 27.3 mm seven-sided cupronickel coin, the same as every other 50p of its time.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p ranks 61st lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2018 Representation of the People Act 50p (9 million); the next more common is the 2019 Paddington at St Paul's 50p (9 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 10 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 83 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2019 alongside 2 other circulating 50p designs: the Sherlock Holmes (8.6 million) and the Paddington at St Paul's (9 million). The 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p was the most plentiful of the year.
Within the circulating Paddington 50p coins, it ranks 3rd scarcest, behind the Paddington at the Station and Paddington at the Palace.
What to check on your 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Paddington at the Tower described above and carry the date 2019; 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.
With 9,001,000 struck, the Tower coin shares the highest mintage in the Paddington set with St Paul's, so circulated examples are face value coins. That still makes it a pleasant find, especially for anyone completing the four. Condition is what makes one stand out: the stonework behind the bear and the sandwich both lose detail quickly. Royal Mint brilliant uncirculated packs carried the design too. A coin out of a pack has an even, bright surface with sharp detail, while coins that have passed through tills and wallets show rubbing and scratches.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2019 |
| Circulation mintage | 9,001,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | David Knapton |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2019 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Paddington at St Paul's 50p | 9,001,000 | Face value |
| 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p | 8,602,000 | Face value |
| 2019 Gruffalo 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Stephen Hawking 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Culture Set 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Gruffalo and Mouse 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Wallace and Gromit 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Snowman 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
What is Paddington holding on the Tower of London 50p?
He is holding a marmalade sandwich. In Michael Bond's stories Paddington keeps a marmalade sandwich under his hat for emergencies. The sandwich is the quickest way to recognize this coin among the four.
How many Paddington at the Tower 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 9,001,000 for circulation in 2019, the same as Paddington at St Paul's. It is a common coin, so a circulated example is a face value piece, though it is still a fun find for the set.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.