Rare 50p coin based on an iconic children’s character goes on sale – and it could be worth up to £1,000

A NEW commemorative 50p coin based on an iconic children’s character has launched – and one day it could be worth £1,000, experts say.

The Gruffalo’s Child 50p coin has gone on sale to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular children’s book by Julia Donaldson, first published in 2004.

The new release follows that of two 50ps, unveiled in 2019, to celebrate two decades since the release of the first Gruffalo book.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has sold more than 13million copies and is a favourite with children around the world.

It follows the tale of a little mouse who goes out for a walk and convinces different predators, including a scary monster called a Gruffalo, to let him continue his journey rather than eat him.

The Gruffalo, who has knobbly knees, turned out toes and a poisonous wart on the end of his nose, has been loved by generations of kids.

The authors followed the original book’s release with that of the Gruffalo’s Child five years later and had another smash hit on their hands.

The new Gruffalo’s Child coin shows the Gruffalo’s Child (holding a Stick Man toy), with the story’s mouse protagonist sporting a sneaky smirk.

The scene on the coin is an original illustration by Axel Scheffler set in the wintery deep dark wood.

The new coins were designed with Magic Light Pictures, which has made the films of many of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books.

The first of the two 2019 Gruffalo coins, also both designed by Magic Light Pictures, featured a close up of the Gruffalo’s head – warts and all.

The second, showed the entire beast standing in front of the mouse – in the deep, dark forest.

The Royal Mint sold the 2019 Gruffalo coins for £10.

But how much could they be worth?

The coins have already gained value and can now be found for around £15 on eBay, with one going for £26 in August.

Tenishia McSweeney, appraiser at Prestige Pawnbrokers, which is featured in Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, has also seen two silver-proof Gruffalo coins sell for £137.70 on eBay.

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller auctioneers, added: “With the release of the new Gruffalo 50p, people will ask me whether it’s an investment or not.

“What it comes down to is how many are minted – if it’s a low mint it’s worth more as the rarity goes up, if a huge amount are minted, these are worth less.

“The other factor is how popular will they be. I would say as a father of two fans of the Gruffalo these will be popular and could prove to be a nice little investment.”

The new Gruffalo’s Child standard coin is available for £12 from the Royal Mint, while a coloured version is available for £21.

Prices increase to £75 if you buy the coin with a silver proof, and £99.50 if you buy a gold proof version of the coin.

All the Gruffalo and Gruffalo’s Child coins are purely collectible items, so they won’t enter general circulation – meaning you can pay for items with them – and you’re not going to find them in your change.

Ms McSweeney said: “The 2024 gold-proof coin can be purchased for £99.50. It may be worth hedging your bets and going for the gold-proof coin if you hope for a future profit. In five years, you may be looking to hit the £1000 mark with a gold-proof Gruffalo coin.

“Commemorative proof coins like these can often be bought on the secondary market for less than they were originally purchased for, so the real value in these coins is the personal enjoyment of these often beautifully designed special coins.

“They make particularly lovely gifts to commemorate a newborn’s year of birth!”

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coins at The Royal Mint added: “The heart-warming tale of The Gruffalo’s Child has captivated readers since its release twenty years ago, and this year, the curious little monster finds a permanent home on a 50 pence piece.

“Brought to life by Royal Mint expert craftspeople, this coin captures the true essence of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved story in beautiful detail. We hope fans of the book admire the design as much as we do.”

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But do bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend looking at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.

People can list things for any price they like, but it doesn’t mean it will sell for that amount.

We explain further how you can find out if you have a rare coin worth thousands sitting around the house.

What to do if you find a rare coin

If you think you might have a rare coin, it’s important to look after it and seek advice from an expert before attempting to do anything yourself.

Mr Miller said: “Do not clean it and do not damage it. If you clean it, it’s worth nothing and if you damage it the price shoots down.

“Then buzz over an email to a coin auction house. You really want to deal with people who deal with coins not your general auctioneers.

“They’ll guide you to know if you have a rare one or not.”

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories