2020 Snowman 50p
The 2020 Snowman 50p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2020
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Robin Shaw
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 2020 Snowman 50p worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 50 pence; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2020 Snowman 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2020 Snowman 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2020 Snowman 50p?
- The design is credited to Robin Shaw.
- What is the 2020 Snowman 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 2020 Snowman 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2020 Snowman 50p was made
By 2020 the Snowman 50p had become a yearly tradition. The third design picked the tender heart of Raymond Briggs's story. The wordless 1978 book and the 1982 film are both about a short friendship: a boy and the snowman he builds spend a night of adventure together before the morning sun ends it. The hug between them is one of the best known images from either version and a natural choice for a Christmas coin.
The Royal Mint released the 2020 coin as a brilliant uncirculated coin in a Christmas pack, as it had in the two previous years. Like the others, it never went into general circulation. If you are holding one that came back as change, it is a pack coin that somebody spent, perhaps without realizing what it was. It remains legal tender and is accepted as 50p, but a coin that depends on owners opening packs and spending them will always be an uncommon find. There is no published pack mintage to quote for this year.
How to recognize it
Robin Shaw designed the reverse, which shows James and the Snowman wrapped in an embrace. It is the only coin in the Snowman series built around a hug, which makes identification easy. Wear first shows on the faces where the two press together. Jody Clark's portrait of the queen and the 2020 date are on the other side. For quick reference, the earlier coins show the pair flying (2018) and standing together in the snow (2019), while the 2021 coin, also by Robin Shaw, shows James drawing the mouth. All four are struck on the standard seven-sided cupronickel blank with a plain edge.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2020 Snowman 50p by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2020 Snowman 50p because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only 50p coins dated 2020 were Peter Rabbit, Dinosauria, Rosalind Franklin and Winnie the Pooh.
For comparison, the 50p coins that did reach change in 2020 were the Diversity Built Britain (10.3 million) and the Brexit (10 million).
What to check on your 2020 Snowman 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the The Snowman described above and carry the date 2020; 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.
Snowman collectors usually want all four years. The 2020 coin is a necessary part of that run. With no circulation mintage, the only loose examples are spent pack coins. An unopened, undamaged pack draws a collector premium. A coin found in change is likely to show wear on James's hair and the Snowman's scarf, which brings it close to face value or a small premium. Bright luster and sharp edges on the figures mark a pack coin; dullness and small knocks on the rim mark one that has been passed around.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2020 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Robin Shaw |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2020 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Diversity Built Britain 50p | 10,300,000 | Face value |
| 2020 Brexit 50p | 10,001,000 | Face value |
| 2020 Peter Rabbit 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2020 Dinosauria 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the 2020 Snowman 50p?
Robin Shaw designed it for the Royal Mint. The coin shows James and the Snowman in an embrace. Robin Shaw also designed the 2021 Snowman 50p, which shows James drawing the Snowman's mouth.
Should I keep a 2020 Snowman 50p I found in change?
It is worth setting aside. It was sold only in packs and never released to banks, so loose ones are uncommon. Expect more interest in clean coins than in worn ones, but even a worn one is a nice find.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.