Gruffalo 50p

Introducing the Gruffalo 50p Coin

After the success of the Beatrix Potter character 50p coin series, the Royal Mint is featuring a new beloved children’s bedtime story character, the Gruffalo. Published in 1999, the story was written by Julia Donaldson, a writer and playwright, and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. 

It tells the story of a mouse taking a walk through a forest, meeting different animals along the way that wanted to eat him. Each time he tells the interested animal that his friend, the Gruffalo, a non-existent creature, would love to eat it instead. But to his surprise, he eventually meets a real Gruffalo who wants to eat him! The mouse gets out of the confrontation by pretending that all the other animals he had met earlier are actually scared of the mouse because he’s the scariest animal in the forest. The Gruffalo believes him and runs away. 

2019 Gruffalo 50p

The design features the scary face of the Gruffalo with his tusks, horns, and wart on his nose. It was created by Magic Light Pictures, the production company that also created the 2009 Gruffalo computer animated TV film. 

Julia Donaldson, the author of the story, shares her excitement, “I can’t believe it has been 20 years since The Gruffalo was first published. In that time, he’s been brought to life on stage and screen, featured in nature trails, library cards and book tokens and turned into a soft toy; and now he’s got his own 50p coin!”

(Caption: Book Cover of The Gruffalo)

How Much is the Gruffalo 50p Coin Worth?

The Royal Mint has not released the Brilliant Uncirculated mintage figures so we cannot say the probability of how rare this coin will be in the future. However, on eBay, as of May 2019, the highest price for a BU Gruffalo coin was £24.95. It was still sealed in its original presentation packaging. 

Other Versions of the 2019 Gruffalo 50p Coin

Because the Gruffalo 50p was minted only a commemorative coin, there are no circulation coins released and so you won’t find this coin in your change. However, the Royal Mint has released other versions for more serious collectors and gifts that could become keepsakes for future generations. There is the Silver Proof version with colour printing, mintage of 30,000, and the Gold Proof version, mintage of 600.