The Royal Mint debuts the first three in a nine-coin multi-year Winnie the Pooh tsunami in gold and silver

The Royal Mint continues its dive into the literary world with its extensive fifty pence coin range with the addition of Winnie the Pooh. Coming at the same time the New Zealand Mint also has a four-coin series in progress, it does nothing to help us understand the intricate world of licencing media properties, but well, here we are.

We’re not going to go into the whole Winnie the Pooh backstory, or the inumerable other 50p coins from The Snowman to Peter Rabbit, via Paddington (the bear, not the train station…), so lets have a quicjk look at the coins themselves. This is to be a nine-coin series released at the rate of one trilogy per annum. Each one will depict a scene or character from the childrens favourite and all seem to continue with the charming artistic style that has served the mint so well over the last few years.

Two main formats pique our interest here. The eight-gram sterling (0.925) silver coins are selectively coloured – the mint long having accepted that mass public interest almost demands it, often to the dismay of collectors. We’re agnostic on them. It suits some, but not others, especially gold coins, which we rarely see colour looking good on. Fortunately, the other format is a 22kt (0.9167) gold one of half-ounce in weight, and these remain free of colouration.

Packaging on the latter is the mints traditional glossy wood box, while the silver coins employ the superb solid block frames we like so well. Both seem well tuned to their respective audiences. Just 525 of each gold design will be struck, and they’re selling very quickly. Royal Mint gold has become super popular over the last couple of years, with new releases regularly making national news sites. The silver is capped at 18,000 units each. A subscription is available, but the discount for signing up is somewhere between nothing and zero…

Available now, you’ll either want them badly because the subject appeals, or you’ll choke on your cornflakes when you see the £67.50 per coin price of the 8g silver coins. We confess to liking the decision to go with using the original watercolours of E.H. Shepard as a basis for them.

ROYAL MINT QUOTES

Daniel Thorne, is a product designer at The Royal Mint and has worked on the Winnie-the-Pooh commemorative coin.  Daniel said: “Working with original illustrations from E.H. Shepard, supplied to us by Disney, my biggest priority with the coin’s design was to ensure we do these wonderful images justice.  As the original maker of coins, The Royal Mint has a long history of exquisite craftsmanship and this coin is no exception.  Bringing the illustrations of E.H. Shepard to life took a lot of craft and care. From the honey bee motif that runs throughout the series, to the grassy mound Pooh is sitting on, we tried many different techniques to create the flawless effect of watercolour on the coin, eventually settling on the one you’ll see on the final version.

Daniel continues, “I’m honoured to have been able to work on this exciting coin. Winnie-the-Pooh was a huge part of my childhood and forms some of my fondest memories. So I wanted to make sure this series of coins truly encapsulated the spirit of Pooh Bear and all his friends. Creating these coins was a labour of love and I hope that collectors can appreciate the beauty in each and every design in the range.”

James Campbell at The Shepard Trust said, “It’s wonderful to see the beloved Winnie the Pooh immortalised on an official UK coin for the first time. The craftsmanship involved in replicating E.H. Shepard’s original watercolour illustrations is truly remarkable.  The Royal Mint has done an exceptional job in creating a collection that will be treasured for years to come by Winnie the Pooh fans of all ages.”

Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin and The Royal Mint Experience, at The Royal Mint said, “Over our 1,100-year history we’ve minted coins to commemorate key moments and figures in Britain’s history, including literary icons, like Shakespeare and Wordsworth through to Beatrix Potter’s mischievous Peter Rabbit, and we’re delighted to now add A.A. Milne’s loveable Winnie-the-Pooh to the list.  Our childhood character coins are encouraging a new generation of coin collectors and we’re delighted to add this iconic character and his friends, to our range.

“We’ve all grown up with Winnie-the-Pooh and he remains a cherished character, not only in Britain but across the world. We anticipate the coins being hugely popular, especially in the lead-up to Christmas and look forward to both children and adults alike, enjoying the collection.”