Whether you are a fan of Beatrix Potter's timeless tales or an avid coin collector, the 2017 Tale of Peter Rabbit 50p coin is a must-have for any enthusiast.
Have you found this coin in your change? This is the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p coin and is dedicated to the works of Beatrix Potter – but is this coin rare and how much is this coin worth today?
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 50p collection
A total of five Emma Noble-designed coins featuring favourites including Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-duck and Squirrel Nutkin were released in 2016.
Due to the coins' enormous popularity, the Royal Mint decided to continue the series in 2017 with a new coin that included Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and Peter Rabbit once more.
Another Peter Rabbit coin, Mrs. Tittlemouse, The Tailor of Gloucester, and Flopsy Bunny were the ones that came after them in 2018.
2019 and 2020 saw the release of a collector's edition Peter Rabbit coin, continuing the series.
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 Peter Rabbit is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It follows a mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he gets into, and is chased around, the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns home to his mother, who puts him to bed after offering him chamomile tea.
The tale was written for five-year-old Noel Moore, the son of Potter's former governess, Annie Carter Moore, in 1893. It was revised and privately printed by Potter in 1901 after several publishers' rejections, but was printed in a trade edition by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902. Squirrel Nutkin is one of many famous characters.
The book was a success, and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following its debut. It has been translated into 36 languages, and with 45 million copies sold it is one of the best-selling books in history.
Design of the 2017 Peter Rabbit 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, designed the reverse side of the coin to feature the image of Peter Rabbit.
On the reverse of the fifty pence coin, an image of Peter Rabbit can be seen in the centre of the coin, running or hopping off to the right. The words THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT curve around the edge of the coin from bottom left to bottom right. The trademark initials, TM, can be seen in small letters under his back leg.
The initials, “en” in lower case are embossed in the lower right, around the squirrel’s stomach, the initials of the designer, Emma Noble.
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.
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 ·2017.
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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p coin had the second highest mintage of the 4 coins released that year, with a mintage of 19,900,000.
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.
The Peter Rabbit 50p can be found in your change: 19,900,000 coins dated 2017 were struck to enter circulation.
For reference, the 2016 Jemima 50p coin had a mintage of 2.1 million, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p coin had a mintage of 8.8 million, 2016 Peter Rabbit coin had a mintage of 9.7 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 2017, there was also one other 50p coin issued into general circulation; in addition to the Beatrix Potter coins and that was the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin which has a low mintage of just over 1.8 million.
Is the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p Coin Rare?
With a mintage of 19.9 million the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p is not considered a rare coin but they are getting harder and harder to find as collectors want them for their own collections. Also, given the popularity of the Beatrix Potter coins, the coin is still highly sought after. The 2017 Peter Rabbit 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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p worth? How rare is it?
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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p, in good condition to be worth around £2.50 in today's market excluding any postage costs.
Where Can I Buy the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p Coin?
You can buy the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p coin online on auction sites such as eBay or Amazon but please ensure you look at all the information and reputation of the seller.
Alternatively, you can buy it from ourselves by clicking here.
Unfortunately, as this coin is now nearly 6 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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p.
Bit of Trivia...
Potter originally wrote about Peter Rabbit in 1893 to entertain 5-year-old Noel Moore, who was ill. He was the son of Annie Carter Moore, Potter’s friend and former governess. The letter began: “I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were—Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.”