2019 Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2019 Peter Rabbit 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
- 2019
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- 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 2019 Peter Rabbit 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 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p?
- The design is credited to Emma Noble.
- What is the 2019 Peter Rabbit 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 Peter Rabbit 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p was made
Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 and has never been out of print. Peter ignores his mother, squeezes into Mr. McGregor's garden and only just escapes, losing his jacket and shoes on the way. The Royal Mint had already put Potter's characters on 50ps issued through the banks from 2016 to 2018. Those coins turned up in change across the country and started many people collecting.
The 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p was handled differently. The Royal Mint sold it only as a brilliant uncirculated coin in collector packs, so none went into general circulation. That is the key fact for anyone who has just found one: if a 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p comes back in your change, it started in a pack that someone opened and then spent. It is legal tender and a shop can give it out as change like any other 50p, but because it never went through the banks the chance of meeting one this way is low. Do not confuse it with the earlier circulating Peter Rabbit coins, which are far more common.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows Peter Rabbit with his name, based on Potter's own illustrations. Emma Noble designed it and also designed the Peter Rabbit coin that followed in 2020. Because several Peter Rabbit 50ps exist, the date is the most reliable test: turn the coin to the side with Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and look for 2019. A 2016, 2017 or 2018 date means you have one of the circulating Potter coins instead. The 2020 coin is easy to tell apart too, since it shows Peter scrambling under Mr. McGregor's fence. On any of them, the lettering and the fine fur lines are the first parts to wear once a coin has been spent.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2019 Peter Rabbit 50p by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only 50p coins dated 2019 were The Gruffalo, Stephen Hawking, 50 Years of the 50p: British Culture Set, 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set, The Gruffalo and Mouse, Wallace and Gromit and The Snowman.
For comparison, the 50p coins that did reach change in 2019 were the Paddington at the Tower (9 million), the Paddington at St Paul's (9 million) and the Sherlock Holmes (8.6 million).
What to check on your 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Peter Rabbit 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.
Peter Rabbit is one of the most popular characters on modern British coins, which helps keep this collector-only issue in demand. With no circulation mintage, it is much harder to find in change than the 2016 to 2018 Potter coins. Kept in a sealed pack in good order, it carries a collector premium. A loose coin from change usually shows rub marks on Peter's face and ears and is worth nearer face value or a small premium. Pack coins have an even, bright surface with no scratches; anything with a hazy look or small nicks has been handled and spent.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2019 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| 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 2019 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p | 9,001,000 | Face value |
| 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 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
Is the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p rare?
In change, yes. Unlike the 2016 to 2018 Peter Rabbit coins, the 2019 design was sold only in brilliant uncirculated packs and never released through banks, so only spent pack coins ever turn up in tills.
How do I know if my Peter Rabbit 50p is the 2019 one?
Check the year on the queen's side. A 2019 date means this collector design. Earlier dates are the circulating Potter coins. The 2020 coin shows Peter crawling under a garden fence instead.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.