What are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins worth, how much do they cost and where can I buy them?
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KEEN readers will be delighted by this year's release of four new Beatrix Potter designs for 2018.
But are the 50p pieces worth anything, and how much do they cost? Here's what you need to know about rabbits, bunnies and tittlemouses of the currency world.
Where can I buy them?
The coins can be bought from the after they were released in stages throughout 2018.
Peter Rabbit's likeness was the first to go on sale in February.
Hot on his hind limbs were Flopsy Bunny, Mrs Tittlemouse and a helpful mouse from The Tailor of Gloucester.
They followed on from the 2016 release of Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin and another Peter Rabbit coin.
How much do they cost?
Silver-proof coloured coins are available for £60 each.
The "brilliant uncirculated silver" coins are on the market at £10.
Plain-metal versions come into the public's pocket when they enter circulation for a limited time later this year.
But the amount of coins that will be released into circulation are subject to demand, which cannot be predicted at this time.
Their value could quickly rise - with rare 50p pieces from a previous release in 2016 selling for up to £840 on eBay.
A full set of 2018 Beatrix Potter colour coins sold for £1,000 in July 2018, while another set sold for £500 the previous month.
The Royal Mint also announced it would be introducing a Paddington Bear 50p coin later this year.
In June 2018, a student spotted a Paddington Bear coin in her spare change in South Wales BEFORE the details of the new coin were released - and managed to flog it for £16,000 on eBay.
Emma Noble, the designer for the Royal Mint - was in charge of fashioning the images, having previously worked on coins for the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation and Remembrance Sunday.
Will there be a new coin in 2019?
The Sun exclusively revealed that Chancellor Philip Hammond is set to unveil a new 50p coin in the October budget to commemorate Britain leaving the EU.
It will be available from March 29 next year, the day Britain exits the EU at 11pm.
And in a bid to send out a positive signal to the world, it is expected to bear the phrase, ‘Friendship With All Nations’.
The Sun has campaigned for the Government to create an enduring gesture to mark Brexit as a landmark national moment, such as a special stamp or coin.
The commemorative coin has had to be personally signed off by the Queen, as it will bear her head.
A source close to the Chancellor told The Sun: “It’s an historic moment which will rightly be commemorated”.
Can the coins be used as legal tender?
Yes, they can. Coins produced by the Royal Mint are released in different grades: two designed as collectors' pieces and one that will appear in the general circulation.
The Silver Proof commemorative coin is made of silver and features an intricate colour design.
It therefore commands a high price at £60 direct from the Royal Mint.
What do you do if you've got a rare coin?
FIRSTLY, you need to make sure the coin is legit and not counterfeit.
Around one in every four old £1 coins were thought to be fake, according to the Royal Mint, so there are probably more fakers in your spare change then you realise.
The Royal Mint is unable to value a coin but it can confirm whether it is real or not. They will usually supply you with a letter to confirm this.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options – either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
Brilliant Uncirculated coins are quality struck coins created in lab conditions that are also for collectors, priced at £10 from the Royal Mint.
Finally, Circulation Grade coins are put into general circulation shortly after the release of the collectors' pieces.
While all three are legal tender, it is highly unlikely that a commemorative coin will appear in your change as collectors will be keen to look after their pieces.
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