It was back in February 2019 that the Royal Mint debuted a fifty-pence coin celebrating the 20th anniversary of the children’s book, ‘The Gruffalo’. It was the simple tale of a mouse’s walk through the woods. In 2005, writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, and illustrator Axel Scheffler, published a second book, continuing the story from the perspective of the Gruffalo’s daughter. It won the National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year, and was made into an animated film in 2011 by the BBC, starring the voices of some big names, like Robbie Coltrane, John Hurt, and Helena Bonham Carter, amongst others. One of the others is James Corden, so if you don’t want to watch it, we understand…

The new coin is another of the Royal Mint’s seven-sided 50 pence coins, that it uses heavily for its licenced franchise releases, like that original Gruffalo coin. These have a colour image on the reverse face (the clean struck image lower down is of the base-metal BU variant) and it’s done by the original book artist, Axel Scheffler, as is the art on the packaging and the awesome themed solid acrylic display frame it comes in.

The big change is with the gold variant. Last time, we got the traditional half-ounce gold 50 pence format, but in an unusual move, they’ve changed that for one of their almost microscopic 0.8 gram coins. That does mean the price just dips in below £100, so it is eminently more affordable than a 50p would be (currently £1355). While our old moan remains (8 mm diameter is too small for that weight), it does look to be an inspired change, and we can see kids having one mounted into a necklace, or on a charm bracelet, for example. This comes mounted in a blistercard. Available now, if you want to buy today’s release, please click the banner ad below, and we get a tiny commission at no cost to you.

PRESS RELEASE

Written by Julia Donaldson in her recognisable rhyming verse and beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo’s Child is a firm favourite in the world of children’s literature that has not only entertained families for two decades but provided children and parents alike with memories that will last a lifetime.

Enjoyed by readers young and old, The Gruffalo’s Child was an instant classic that has become one of the most popular children’s books of the twenty-first century. Now, as the book reaches the 20th anniversary since publication, we celebrate this timeless tale on a UK coin for the first time.

The perfect keepsake for fans of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the reverse of The Gruffalo’s Child 2024 UK Coin features artwork from The Gruffalo’s Child, faithfully remastered by The Royal Mint’s Emma Noble. A follow-up to our 2019 release commemorating The Gruffalo, this UK coin is available as a fortieth-ounce gold Proof, silver Proof Colour, Brilliant Uncirculated Colour and Brilliant Uncirculated edition.