Two new Paddington 50p coins will be released into circulation this month, according to The Royal Mint, meaning one could soon turn up in your spare change.
We explain what designs to look out for and round up the rarest and most valuable 50p coins in circulation right now.
Paddington at the Station is the first coin in a 2-coin set celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Paddington Bear, the most famous British bear from darkest Peru! The other coin in the set features Paddington at Buckingham Palace. Click here for the Paddington At The Palace 50p worth page. Paddington at the Tower Limited Edition Silver Proof 50p This is the ultimate way to own this new Paddington coin! Thanks to the use of colour printing minting technology, everyone’s favourite bear, and his iconic red hat and blue coat, are brought to life perfectly in vibrant full colour detail. Paddington Bear 50p The Royal Mint has just released TWO brand new 2019 UK Paddington 50ps, featuring Britain's favourite bear outside two of Britain's most iconic landmarks - the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral! Have a look at the full range of Paddington 50ps below: 2019 UK Paddington at St. Paul's CERTIFIED BU 50p £4.50 More details. Those who love to collect coins will be excited to learn that there are now two new Paddington Bear coins out there. The 50p coins, featuring the much-loved children’s character, have gone into the. Paddington at the Palace 50p Coin Details Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the classic book, A Bear Called Paddington this is the second coin in the four-coin Paddington Bear coins set. Expect to pay around £10 for a carded Paddington at the Palace 50p BUNC coin in Royal Mint packaging.
New Paddington 50p coin designs
The Royal Mint will be releasing two new Paddington 50p coins into circulation by the end of the month.
One coin will feature the much-loved bear sitting on his suitcase at Paddington station, while the other shows Paddington on a day out at Buckingham Palace.
Designed by David Knapton, the coins are based on the CGI live-action film version of Paddington which first hit cinemas in 2014.
The release of the coins celebrates the 60th anniversary of the marmalade-loving bear that was brought to life in Michael Bond’s 1958 book entitled ‘A Bear called Paddington’.
Several special edition Paddington 50p coins are available for purchase, too.
These coins differ from the coins you’ll find in your spare change, as they are not released into general circulation.
Silver collectors’ edition Paddington 50p coins can be bought from The Royal Mint and range from £10-£60 per coin. Gold proof Paddington 50p coins, priced at £780 each, are currently sold out.
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Are the new Paddington 50p coins valuable?
While the Paddington Bear 50p coins are likely to be sought after, their value will also be influenced by the number of coins released (known as the mintage).
As a general rule of thumb, the fewer coins of a particular design are in circulation, the more valuable it is likely to be.
The official mintage figures of the new Paddington Bear coins are yet to be confirmed.
- Find out more: revealed: rare 50p coins in the Olympic series
What affects the value of a coin?
The value of a collectible coin is difficult to quantify, as it depends on how much a coin collector is willing to pay. The following factors, however, can give you an indication of what you might be able to sell your coin for.
Mintage
The mintage of a coin indicates how many of a particular design was created and released into circulation. As we explained above, the lower the mintage figure, the less likely it is for that coin to pop up in your spare change, making it harder for collectors to find.
This means that collectors are more likely to pay a higher sum for that particular coin to complete their set.
Age
Older coins can often be seen as more valuable as they can be more difficult to collect. This is because they can become worn, damaged or lost over time.
Condition
Most collectors are looking to buy coins in ‘mint condition’, meaning no wear and tear, dings or scratches.
Scarcity
Some coins might be particularly in demand from collectors, or even kept by the public for sentimental reasons. This can drive up the scarcity of that design, even if the mintage is comparatively large.
Resources such as Change Checker’s Scarcity Index can help give an indication of what a coin’s value could be. Change Checker is an online platform that allows you to trade rare coins and notes with other collectors.
The Scarcity Index takes into account:
- How easy it is to find a coin, which is based on how many of each coin design is listed as ‘collected’ by collectors registered on the platform.
- How ‘in demand’ a coin is, which is based on how many times collectors request to swap for a certain design.
Coins are given a score out of 100 and the higher the score, the rare and potentially more valuable a coin is.
- Find out more:the rarest and most valuable coins and notes in circulation right now
The rarest 50p coins in circulation 2018
There are now over 35 different 50p coin designs in circulation in the UK and the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest and most valuable of them all.
Only 210,000 were minted in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the London Kew Gardens.
The coin was designed by Christopher Le Brun and could fetch up to £140 on eBay. In the Royal Mint’s first ever coin auction in London last month, a gold proof Kew Gardens 50p sold for £400!
50p Paddington Bear Value
You can see the full list of rare 50p coins in the graph below.
50p Paddington Bear 2018
- Find out more: the rarest 50p coins of 2018
50p Paddington Bear
What to do if you find a rare coin
If you think you’ve stumbled across a rare coin, the first thing to do is get in touch with the Royal Mint to make sure it’s real.
They’ll usually send you a letter to confirm the coin’s authenticity. Once you have confirmation that your coin is legitimate, you’ll be able to sell it online or via a coin dealer.
Check out the video below for a run-through of the different types of coins you can collect. And for more information on how to spot a fake coin, take a look at our investigation into the dark side of the coin investment craze.
Paddington Bear has been all over the news this week as the release of two brand new 2019 UK 50p coins won over the hearts of the nation.
Coin collectors and fans of the bear have been really eager to get their hands on the first coin in the 2019 series which has been released this week, and are looking forward to later in the year when the second coin will be released.
This dynamic duo follows up the hugely popular pair of 50p coins from last year.
In 2018 two Paddington 50p coins were issued to mark the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first appearance in Michael Bond’s classic childhood tale.
So, now that we’ve seen the designs for all 4 coins, which Paddington 50p is your favourite?
*** UPDATE ***
Change Checkers have been voting and the winning Paddington 50p design has now been decided!
And the Paddington coin which comes out on top is actually the 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p, taking 38% of the votes!
A very close second at 32% is the soon to be released Paddington at St Paul’s 50p. I’m sure Change Checkers will be keen to get their hands on this coin when it is released next month.
You can find out all the details about each of the Paddington 50ps below and let us know which one is your favourite in the comments.
2018 Paddington at the Station
50p Paddington At St. Paul's Cathedral
This is the first UK 50p coin ever to feature Paddington Bear!
In 2018, The Royal Mint released this brand new 50p coin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington Bear featuring in Michael Bond’s much-loved book, ‘A Bear Called Paddington’.
The coin’s design by David Knapton is based on the modern adaptation from the CGI-live action movie, featuring Paddington on his suitcase in front of the station, wearing the famous tag around his neck, which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’
2018 Paddington at the Palace
Much to the delight of both coin collectors and Paddington fans, a second coin was issued as part of the 2018 Paddington 50p series.
50p Paddington Bear 2019 Worth
This coin features Paddington Bear outside Buckingham palace, waving his Union Jack flag.
The always polite Paddington Bear has always been a family favourite and this coin pays tribute to the bear from Darkest Peru.
2019 Paddington at the Tower
Paddington’s London adventure continues into 2019 as two new UK Paddington 50p coins will be issued this year.
This is the first coin in the 2019 series, which has been released in August and will start circulating in our UK change based on demand.
Paddington can be seen outside the Tower of London (former home of The Royal Mint). David Knapton’s design beautifully captures the day this very British bear brought marmalade sandwiches with him on a trip to the Tower – an iconic image I’m sure you’ll agree.
2019 Paddington at St Paul’s Cathedral
Whilst we know the design for this final coin in the 2019 Paddington series, we’ll have to wait a little while until the coin is released on the 12th September.
I’m sure collectors will be really keen to add this 2019 coin to their Paddington collection and continue his exploration around some of London’s most famous landmarks!
This coin shows the bear outside St Paul’s Cathedral and is inspired by Bond’s final book, “Paddington at St Paul’s” which was published last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary.
With four beautiful Paddington 50p coins to choose from, it’ll certainly be hard to pick a favourite, but we’re looking forward to seeing which design comes out on top when Change Checkers vote in our poll!
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