Royal Mint debuts the second of three trilogies of 50p coins celebrating the classic childrens books ‘Winnie the Pooh’

Last year, the Royal Mint debuted what was the first three coins in a nine-coin, three year program dedicated to the world of literary pair A.A. Milne and E.H. Shephard. The former the writer, the latter the illustrator, they created a world beloved by children that is still hugely popular today. With the Royal Mint’s recent penchant for literary classics, Winnie the Pooh was obviously going to appear, and the 50 pence coin format was the natural choice.

In 2020 the three characters chosen were Christopher Robin, Piglet, and Winnie the Pooh. For 2021 we’re getting Winnie & Friends, Tigger, and Owl. All are in the same style defined by E.H. Shephard in the original books. It’s a great art style, so if you love the books, you’ll love the coins. We can imagine Tigger being especially popular.

The usual eight gram sterling silver format will be the most numerous offering, struck to a proof finish and selectively coloured. These are presented in the excellent solid acrylic block frames that make display easy. Also available, and with recent exoperience likely to be a quick seller, are the gold versions., which are struck in 22kt (0.9167) gold, in this case red gold. These are presented in the more common, but still excellent, polished wood boxes.

At the low end, there are also base metal brilliant uncirculated coins with an unlimited mintage. These can also be bought directly from the mint in a coloured variant with a 45,000 mintage limit. The clean versions sell for £10, while the coloured are £20, the latter of which we consider very overpriced for what’s on offer. A 100% markup for a bit of colour seems very excessive. Winnie & Friends is available now, with Owl in October, and Tigger in November.

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: “Using inspiration from the original decorations of E.H. Shepard has been a fantastic experience but one that has also tested me as a designer. With each design, so much care and attention has been given to remastering the iconic decorations for the canvas of a coin while staying true to the texts people know and love.

“I also wanted to add something extra special for collectors, with the bee motif. Inspired by the original decorations the buzzy bee from the storybooks features on each of the nine coins in the collection. I hope collectors can appreciate the beauty in each design in the range and enjoy the special colour editions.”

Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin and The Royal Mint Experience, at The Royal Mint said, “Winnie-the-Pooh is a treasured children’s classic which, much like the popular hobby of coin collecting, has been passed down through generations. As we celebrate 95 years of Winnie the Pooh, the latest design featuring Pooh and friends is a fitting tribute to the much-loved adventures.

She added: “Fans of Winnie the Pooh can enjoy the coins individually, or as part of the nine-coin collection released over three years. We are buzzing with excitement to bring these wonderful characters and memories to life on a collectable 50p coin series.”