The Gruffalo and Mouse 50p coin: how much is it worth?

COLLECTORS may want to get their claws into the 50p coin commemorating the popular children's book, The Gruffalo.

Coins featuring famous literary characters have generated a string of new fans - meaning your spare change could be worth more than you thought.

If you haven't heard of The Gruffalo, you may as well be living under a rock in a deep dark forest - much like the character in the infamous story.

The popular rhyming tale was written by Julia Donaldson and published in 1999, over two decades ago.

But it's a tale that's stood the test of time, and one that has sold over 13 million copies in 59 editions worldwide.

In 2019, The Royal Mint issued a pair of commemorative 50p coins to celebrate the story 20 years on.

But unlike other literature inspired coins, no Gruffalo and Mouse 50p pieces ever entered general circulation.

And it's worth noting that uncirculated coins cannot be spent - meaning they are solely a collectible item.

The first 50p nod to the book featured The Gruffalo's head up close - warts and all.

While the second 50p Gruffalo edition shows the entire beast standing in front of a mouse, who is the protagonist of the story, in the deep dark forest, designed by Magic Light Pictures.

Fans of the fictional tale could buy the brilliant uncirculated (BU) piece directly from The Royal Mint for a tenner - which is now unavailable.

Different editions of the Gruffalo and Mouse 50p were also up for grabs, including the Gruffalo and Mouse 50p Gold coin.

With only 600 gold edition Gruffalo coins minted, had it listed for a whopping £1,065.00 - and it sold out.

Similarly, the silver proof version of the coin sold out at The Royal Mint in just a few hours after its release a couple years ago according to .

How much is the Gruffalo and Mouse 50p worth?

We had a look at Ebay to see what sellers were listing their special edition Gruffalo coins for, and we found one seller who made £26.

This means the user made a profit of £16, assuming they bought the coin for £10.

They originally listed the item for just 1p, and a small bidding war soon followed.

A total of six people made a bid over the course of 10 days, and the winning bid took the coin for £26.