2016 Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p is a circulating 50p with 9.7 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2016
- Circulation mintage
- 9,700,000
- Value band
- Face value
- 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 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p worth?
9.7 million were made, so the 2016 Peter Rabbit 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 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p rare?
- No. 9.7 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p coins were made?
- 9,700,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p?
- The design is credited to Emma Noble.
- What is the 2016 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 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p was made
Beatrix Potter was born in London on 28 July 1866 and her small illustrated books about animals have stayed in print for well over a century. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which grew out of an illustrated letter she sent to a sick child in 1893 and was first published commercially in 1902, is the most famous of them. Peter, the disobedient young rabbit who sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden, became one of the best known characters in children's books. Potter illustrated the stories herself, using watercolors based on close study of real animals, including her own pet rabbits.
For the 150th anniversary of Potter's birth in 2016 the Royal Mint issued five 50ps: one with Potter's own portrait and four showing her characters. All five were designed by Emma Noble. Peter Rabbit was the most plentiful, with 9,700,000 struck for circulation. The coins proved so popular that the Royal Mint returned to Peter Rabbit and other Potter characters for further 50ps in later years, making this the start of a long-running series that drew many children into coin collecting.
How to recognize it
Peter Rabbit appears on the reverse in his jacket, closely based on Potter's own illustrations, together with his name. The soft, storybook style sets the Potter coins apart from the bolder lines of most commemoratives. The obverse has Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen. Size is the standard 27.3 mm, edge plain. Readers who grew up with the books will recognize him straight away. Peter has appeared on more than one 50p, so check that the date on your coin is 2016 if you want this first circulation design. Emma Noble designed it, along with the other four Potter coins of that year.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2016 Peter Rabbit 50p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p ranks 66th lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial 50p (9.6 million); the next more common is the 2017 Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p (9.9 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 9.3 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 89 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2016 with 6 other circulating 50p designs: the Jemima Puddle-Duck (2.1 million), the Squirrel Nutkin (5 million), the Team GB (6.4 million), the Battle of Hastings (6.7 million), the Beatrix Potter (6.9 million) and the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle (8.8 million). The 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p was the most plentiful of the year.
Within the circulating Beatrix Potter 50p coins, it ranks 10th scarcest, behind the Flopsy Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tittlemouse and others.
What to check on your 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Peter Rabbit described above and carry the date 2016; 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.
At 9.7 million, the 2016 Peter Rabbit is the most common of the five Beatrix Potter coins from that year and circulated examples sit at face value. Demand stays steady because so many people collect the full Potter series, often with their children. Look for a sharp outline on Peter and clear lettering in his name; those wear first. A coin put aside from new shows no marks on the field around him, while a coin from change usually has a few scratches and a dull finish.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2016 |
| Circulation mintage | 9,700,000 |
| 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 2016 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p | 8,800,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p | 6,900,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Battle of Hastings 50p | 6,700,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Team GB 50p | 6,400,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Squirrel Nutkin 50p | 5,000,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p | 2,100,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p rare?
No. With 9,700,000 struck for circulation, it is the most common of the five 2016 Beatrix Potter 50ps. It's popular, so people tend to keep them, but a circulated example is still a face value coin.
Who designed the Peter Rabbit 50p?
Emma Noble designed it, along with the other four 2016 Beatrix Potter coins. Her design shows Peter Rabbit as he appears in Potter's illustrations, together with his name, with Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen on the other side.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.