Do you love finding unique coins like the 2016 Mrs Tiggywinkle 50p? Then this blog is for you! Here we will take a closer look at this popular coin and some of the other great designs that have been released in recent years.
There are a lot of different commemorative 50p coins in circulation these days. Have you ever wondered which ones are the most valuable?
A series of commemorative 50p coins honouring Beatrix Potter, were released in 2016 by the Royal Mint, to mark the 150th anniversary of the famed children's book author's birth.
The fourth coin to be released in the series is the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p coin. But how much is it worth and how rare is it?
According to the most recent eBay and Amazon sales, the value of the coin, in good circulated condition and excluding any postage or selling costs, is around £2.50. So, at five times it's face value, it's a good addition to your collection if you find it in your change.
The Beatrix Potter 2016 50p collection
A total of five Emma Noble-designed coins featuring favourites including Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, Jemima Puddle-duck, Tiggy-Winkle, and Squirrel Nutkin were released in 2016.
The coins are extremely popular, and the Royal Mint has decided to continue the series in 2017 with new coins featuring Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and Peter Rabbit.
Another Peter Rabbit coin, Mrs. Tittlemouse, The Tailor of Gloucester, and Flopsy Bunny were released in 2018, and a collector's edition Peter Rabbit coin was released in 2019.
It is clear that this series of 50p coins is by far the most loved and sought after.
History of the coin
The Tale of Mrs Tiggy Winkle was first published in 1905 and revolves around a hedgehog washerwoman doing laundry with a child named Lucie.
Mrs Tiggy Winkle is a hedgehog who is a friendly and kind-hearted washerwoman. She is the main protagonist in Beatrix Potter’s 'The Tale of Mrs Tiggy Winkle.' She lives in a tiny cottage in the fells of the Lake District.
'Mrs Tiggy Winkle' was based on Potter’s own pet hedgehog and Kitty MacDonald, who was a Scottish washerwoman. Kitty MacDonald worked for Beatrix Potter's family for eleven summers whilst her family were on holiday in the Scottish Highlands.
Like Mrs Tiggy-winkle, Kitty MacDonald was described as a small, round and suntanned lady who had small dark eyes, often wearing a white cap and a selection of petticoats.
Design of the 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p coin
The cupro-nickel form of the coin has a plain edge, is 27.3mm in diameter, weighs 8g, and is 1.78mm thick.
Emma Noble, a Royal Mint engraver, created the image of Mrs Tiggy-winkle on the reverse, wearing her distinctive white cap and petticoat and the words 'MRS TIGGY-WINKLE' printed above her head. Noble used the author's own watercolours of her characters for the whole Beatrix Potter series.
Potter was a talented painter herself, and the Royal Mint took considerable effort to accurately capture the personality and subtly intricate details of the original piece.
Noble took the effort to choose an image that would look well on the coin's reverse and then made sure that it would retain its artistic integrity when scaled down to fit on the reverse of a conventional 50p.
The 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle engraving, the fourth in the Potter series to be published.
Emma Noble had worked at the Royal Mint for 20 years before she was chosen to design the Beatrix Potter series of coins.
On the obverse side, running continuously around the effigy, is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE ·2016.
Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, followed by the value and denomination in English.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials J.C for Jody Clark.
Jody Clark was the youngest person to design the monarch’s profile on this currency at the age of just 33. Jody Clark was also the first Royal Mint employee to design a UK definitive coin portrait in more than 100 years.
He had only been working at the Royal Mint for about two years prior. The new design would be the first time her portrait had been changed in 17 years.
Jody Clark’s design was unveiled in 2015 as the fifth definitive coinage portrait of Her Majesty and the fourth portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in circulation.
Mintage of the Coin
Official figures from the Royal Mint's website show that the 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle coin was the second most common of the five coins released that year, with a mintage of 8,800,000.
Additionally, the coin was also minted as a Brilliant Uncirculated variety in individual presentation folders as well as complete sets, in addition to silver proof versions which had a total mintage of 15,000.
For reference, the 2016 Jemima 50p coin had a mintage of 2.1 million, Peter Rabbit 50p coin had a mintage of 9.7 million, Squirrel Nutkin had a mintage of 5 million and the Beatrix Potter 50p coin had a mintage of 6.9 million.
The rarest 50p coins in the Beatrix Potter series are the 2018 Peter Rabbit and the 2018 Flopsy bunny 50p coin, which both have a mintage of 1.4 million.
In 2016, there were two other 50p coins issued into general circulation; the 2016 Battle of Hastings 50p and the 2016 Team GB Rio 50p, both had a mintage of over 6 million.
Is the 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p Coin Rare?
With a mintage of 8.8 million the Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p is not considered a rare coin. However, given the popularity of the Beatrix Potter coins, the coin is still highly sought after. The Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p, also known as the hedgehog 50p, can still be found in your change and as collectors are adding them to their collections, the coin is becoming more scarce.
How Much Is the Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p Coin Worth Today?
As we said, it is always it is difficult to put an exact price on a coin as all coins vary in condition, but we would expect the circulated 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p to be worth around £1.50-£1.75 in today's market excluding any postage costs.
Where Can I Buy the 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p Coin?
You can buy the Tiggywinkle 50p coin from Copes Coins by clicking here.
Alternatively you can buy online on auction sites such as eBay or Amazon but please ensure you look at all the information and reputation of the seller.
Unfortunately, as this coin is now nearly 7 years old, the Royal Mint no longer stock this coin so it is only available to buy on the secondary market.
Are there any known errors of this coin?
The Royal Mint has not confirmed any error versions of the 2016 Mrs Tiggy-winkle 50p.
Bit of Trivia...
Beatrix Potter's first name was actually Helen. She was born in London on July 28, 1866 and was actually christened Helen after her mother, but was known by her more unusual middle name, Beatrix.