Peter Rabbit returns to the Royal Mint with a new format and a new visual style

It seems Peter isn’t ready for the stew yet as the Royal Mint have brought him back for a sixth year of releases, but with all new formats and a refreshed, and no doubt controversial, artistic look. Just the one design this year (so far), which also marks out a new direction for the franchise.

It’s the look that’s going to divide people, we reckon. It’s almost like the type of art you would find in a newspaper cartoon. We like new directions here, stagnation is the enemy of innovation, so this gets brownie points straight away, but we’d like to see a better, perhaps angled coin view to see how defined ity is before passing final judgement. Hopefully we’ll see a video soon.

The scene is a neat one and the inscribed quote a nice touch. As we said, a new direction for a series that has primarily focused on character portraits with the judicious use of colour. The coin is an ounce in weight regardless of whether you go the gold or silver route. Packaging is themed and will no doubt be to the Royal Mint’s usual high quality. Available right now at £95 for silver and £2,315 for gold.

PRESS RELEASE

The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has today announced that Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit™ will appear on their commemorative £5 crown and one-ounce coins for the very first time in a partnership secured with Penguin Random House.

Previously, Peter Rabbit and his friends have appeared on the 50p and have been one of the most popular commemorative coin collections from The Royal Mint. Now, the iconic character has hopped over to a new coin on the reverse of the £5 crown as well as silver and gold one ounce coins. The larger surface area of the £5 crown has allowed The Royal Mint to explore the timeless narrative of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and capture more detail.

The Royal Mint’s own Ffion Gwillim created the design using original storybook illustrations, settling on an image showing the whole Rabbit family together. Speaking about the design, Ffion said, “What I really like about this particular illustration is that it has a great narrative element. As a designer I always look to tell a story, just as Beatrix Potter did in her unique and wonderful way. It was a lot of fun to revisit The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It’s such a timeless classic and Peter’s antics never get old.”

Thomas Merrington, Creative Director, Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House) said, “Peter Rabbit has had an exceptional adventure with The Royal Mint over the past five years. His appearance on the £5 crown marks a new chapter for our partnership and provides an exciting opportunity to showcase Beatrix Potter’s original illustration in a creative new way”

The new commemorative coin features a charming scene of the Rabbit family from an early part of the story when Peter’s mother warns him not to get into any mischief. Capturing the warmth and charm of the original illustration, the coin is set to be key piece for collectors.

Clare Maclennan Divisional Director for Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint commented, “The £5 crown is truly a wonderful piece for collecting, with the larger surface area showcasing The Royal Mint’s abilities as designers and creators of coinage. It has also allowed us to capture the magical world of Peter Rabbit, which deserves the space to be able to tell such a timeless narrative. Peter Rabbit has been a key part of our commemorative coin journey, and we are pleased to offer him a new platform on a new denomination.”