2017 Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p is a circulating 50p with 19.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- Circulation mintage
- 19,900,000
- 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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p worth?
19.9 million were made, so the 2017 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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p rare?
- No. 19.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p coins were made?
- 19,900,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p?
- The design is credited to Emma Noble.
- What is the 2017 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 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p was made
Peter Rabbit began life in a letter. In 1893 Beatrix Potter wrote and sketched a story for Noel Moore, the young son of her former governess, who was ill in bed. She later turned it into The Tale of Peter Rabbit, printed it privately in 1901 and saw it published commercially in London in 1902. The naughty rabbit who squeezes under Mr. McGregor's gate has never been out of print since. He became the face of everything Potter made, from the books to the toys and china that followed.
So it was no surprise that Peter led the Royal Mint's Beatrix Potter 50p series. He appeared on the first set in 2016, which marked 150 years since Potter's birth, then came back for the 2017 set with a fresh design. This 2017 coin was struck in very large numbers: 19.9 million for circulation, second only to Benjamin Bunny among the Potter coins. He returned again in 2018 with yet another design, which means anyone checking their change for Peter Rabbit needs to look at the details rather than just spotting a rabbit.
How to recognize it
This is the Peter Rabbit 50p that carries the book title. Look for the words THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT alongside the figure of Peter, taken from Potter's original artwork. The 2018 coin is easy to separate because it shows Peter eating, with just his name, while the 2016 coin is a different design again. Check the date for 2017 to be certain. Emma Noble of the Royal Mint adapted the illustration for the coin, as she did for the rest of the series. The obverse carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Struck for circulation in plain cupronickel, it has no color at all, so a colored coin found in change has been painted after leaving the mint.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2017 Peter Rabbit 50p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p ranks 74th lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2005 Samuel Johnson's Dictionary 50p (17.6 million); the next more common is the 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p (25 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 4.5 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 183 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2017 alongside 4 other circulating 50p designs: the Isaac Newton (1.8 million), the Tom Kitten (9.5 million), the Mr Jeremy Fisher (9.9 million) and the Benjamin Bunny (25 million). 3 of them had a smaller run.
Within the circulating Beatrix Potter 50p coins, it ranks 12th scarcest, behind the Flopsy Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tittlemouse and others.
What to check on your 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Peter Rabbit described above and carry the date 2017; 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 19.9 million, the 2017 Peter Rabbit is one of the higher mintages among modern commemorative 50ps. You can still find it in change. A circulated coin is a face value piece. Collectors who want it for a set usually look for a bright example without marks across Peter's face and coat, since those spots wear first. The Royal Mint sold the design in brilliant uncirculated packs too. Coins straight from a pack keep a full, even luster with no hairlines, while circulated ones have a duller surface and scuffs. Painted or colorized coins sold as special editions are aftermarket work and are not official issues.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2017 |
| Circulation mintage | 19,900,000 |
| 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 2017 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p | 25,000,000 | Face value |
| 2017 Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p | 9,900,000 | Face value |
| 2017 Tom Kitten 50p | 9,500,000 | Face value |
| 2017 Isaac Newton 50p | 1,801,500 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
How many 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 19.9 million of the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p for circulation. That makes it a common coin, far more plentiful than the 2018 Peter Rabbit, which had a circulation mintage of just 1.4 million.
How do I tell the 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p from the other years?
Check the date first, then the lettering. The 2017 coin includes the full title, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The 2018 coin shows Peter eating with only his name. The 2016 version is a separate design again.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.