Paddington 50p Guide: Every Coin, Mintage & Value
The Paddington 50p series is one of the warmest-loved modern British coin runs: six circulating designs putting Paddington Bear at London’s most iconic landmarks, alongside silver proofs, silver Piedforts and gold proofs. Launched in 2018 to mark the 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s first novel, the programme has continued through the Platinum Jubilee and into the Charles III era. This guide lists every coin, every mintage, every collector variant and what each is worth today.
The Paddington 50p series at a glance
The Paddington 50p programme launched in 2018 as a partnership between the Royal Mint and Copyrights Group, the London-based licensing agency that holds the Paddington intellectual property. The launch was timed to the 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s 1958 novel A Bear Called Paddington, in which the eponymous bear arrives at Paddington Station from “darkest Peru” and is taken in by the Brown family.
Like the Beatrix Potter programme that preceded it, Paddington 50ps were issued in matched circulating and collector formats: cupronickel coins for change at face value, plus brilliant-uncirculated cards, sterling silver proofs (with and without colour), double-thickness silver Piedforts and 22-carat or .999 gold proofs sold direct by the Royal Mint. The character’s broad cross-generational appeal pushed first-day sell-out at the Royal Mint shop on every annual release.
The series sits alongside the broader Royal Mint licensed-character strategy: the Beatrix Potter 50p series (2016–2018), the Harry Potter 50p series (2022 onwards) and a parallel programme of Paddington £5 crowns from 2023. The 50p denomination has now become the Royal Mint’s principal vehicle for licensed-character commemoratives.
Every Paddington 50p: complete list with mintages
| Year | Design | Designer | Mintage | Typical BU value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Paddington at the Station | David Knapton | 5,001,000 | £6 – £12 | Lowest mintage of the series; references the original 1958 novel |
| 2018 | Paddington at the Palace | David Knapton | 5,901,000 | £5 – £10 | Buckingham Palace background; popular tourist purchase |
| 2019 | Paddington at St Paul’s Cathedral | David Knapton | 9,001,000 | £4 – £8 | Highest mintage tier; common find in change |
| 2019 | Paddington at the Tower of London | David Knapton | 9,001,000 | £4 – £8 | Joint highest mintage; popular London tourist coin |
| 2022 | Paddington at Buckingham Palace (Platinum Jubilee) | Royal Mint design team | 6,100,000 | £7 – £14 | Tied to the “marmalade sandwich” sketch |
| 2022 | Paddington at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee | Royal Mint design team | 5,400,000 | £8 – £15 | Released after the Queen’s death; emotional weight |
Mintage figures from Royal Mint published mintage figures. BU values reflect realised eBay UK sold listings averaged over the past 12 months.
Where the value sits
Paddington 50ps were minted in higher numbers than the Beatrix Potter coins, which means premium pricing has been more modest. None of the circulating issues is genuinely scarce; the 2018 Paddington at the Station’s 5.0 million mintage is closer to a typical Olympic 50p than to the 1.4 million low-end of the 2018 Beatrix Potter coins.
Where the Paddington series earns premium is in the silver Piedforts (mintages 3,500–6,000) and the colour-printed silver proofs (mintages 5,000–7,500). Both formats consistently sell above original Royal Mint retail. The single best-performing collector variant has been the 2019 Paddington at the Tower of London silver Piedfort, which doubled retail price within 18 months of release on the strength of the London-tourist collector market.
Silver, Piedfort and gold variants
| Coin | Variant | Mintage | Original RM retail | Current secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Paddington at the Station | Silver proof | 22,000 | £57.50 | £65 – £110 |
| 2018 Paddington at the Station | Silver Piedfort | 5,000 | £115 | £130 – £200 |
| 2018 Paddington at the Palace | Silver proof | 22,000 | £57.50 | £60 – £100 |
| 2018 Paddington at the Palace | Silver Piedfort | 5,000 | £115 | £130 – £190 |
| 2019 Paddington at St Paul’s | Silver proof | 20,000 | £60 | £65 – £100 |
| 2019 Paddington at St Paul’s | Silver Piedfort | 3,500 | £115 | £140 – £200 |
| 2019 Paddington at the Tower | Silver proof | 20,000 | £60 | £70 – £110 |
| 2019 Paddington at the Tower | Silver Piedfort | 3,500 | £115 | £160 – £230 |
| 2022 Platinum Jubilee pair | Silver proof (each) | 12,000 | £67.50 | £75 – £130 |
| 2022 Platinum Jubilee pair | Silver Piedfort (each) | 4,500 | £125 | £150 – £220 |
| Any year | Gold proof (.9167) | 475–650 | £1,500–£2,100 | £1,500 – £2,400 |
Silver-proof mintages are from Royal Mint specification sheets at issue; some figures are confirmed sell-out totals where the Royal Mint published them, others are issue limits. Gold proofs are individually serial-numbered with certificates of authenticity. Use the Royal Mint shop for current availability of newer Paddington collector pieces.
The 2022 Platinum Jubilee tie-in
The 2022 Paddington 50ps would have been routine commemoratives if not for what happened in early June. The BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert opened with a pre-recorded comedy sketch in which Queen Elizabeth II met Paddington Bear in a state room at Buckingham Palace. Over tea, the pair revealed that they each kept an emergency marmalade sandwich, and the Queen tapped out the rhythm of We Will Rock You on her teacup.
The sketch reached an estimated 13 million UK viewers and became the cultural high point of the Jubilee weekend. Three months later, on 8 September 2022, the Queen died at Balmoral. Mourners left thousands of marmalade sandwiches and Paddington Bear toys at Buckingham Palace gates; the Royal Family quietly asked that food offerings be redirected because of the welfare risk to local wildlife. The 2022 Paddington 50ps were released into this cultural moment, and continue to carry weight beyond their pure mintage figures.
Brilliant-uncirculated 2022 Paddington 50ps in the original Platinum Jubilee presentation card consistently realise £10–£15 on eBay UK, around 50% above the comparable 2018 and 2019 cards. The silver Piedforts of the 2022 pair are the strongest-performing Piedforts in the entire Paddington series, regularly clearing £200 at auction.
Design and provenance
David Knapton is the principal designer behind the Paddington 50p series. A freelance illustrator, Knapton has worked with the Royal Mint on multiple London-themed projects and brought a distinct architectural-illustration style to the series: each coin places Paddington in front of a detailed engraved London landmark rather than in isolation, which is unusual for circulating commemoratives.
The character itself follows the visual style established by Peggy Fortnum, the original illustrator of A Bear Called Paddington in 1958. Fortnum’s line drawings (rather than the later 2014 film’s 3D character or the 1970s Ivor Wood TV puppet) are the canonical reference for Paddington in print, and Knapton’s coin renderings keep faithfully to that lineage: small bear with battered hat, duffle coat and suitcase, no excessive cuteness or anthropomorphic exaggeration.
Each obverse uses the Jody Clark fifth-portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the 2018–2022 issues, and the Martin Jennings Charles III portrait for any 2023 onwards Paddington commemoratives.
How to spot a genuine Paddington 50p
- Weight. 8.00 g ± 0.05 g on a 0.01 g jewellery scale. Replicas (which are uncommon) typically run a few tenths of a gram off.
- Diameter. 27.30 mm flat-to-flat across the seven sides. The shape is a Reuleaux heptagon, not a flat-edged seven-sided polygon.
- Edge. Plain (no reeding) on every UK 50p. A reeded edge is an immediate counterfeit indicator.
- Relief. Sharp detail on Paddington’s hat brim, suitcase handle and the architectural background. Cast or pressed-resin replicas show soft, blurred details.
- Colour layer (collector issues only). The genuine coloured Paddington silver proofs have an even, lacquered colour application. Hand-painted altered coins show brushstrokes and uneven tone, especially on the duffle coat.
For full grading methodology see our how to grade a coin guide. The coin collecting glossary covers Piedfort, BU and proof terminology in detail.
Completing the Paddington 50p set
Paddington 50ps are still readily available in everyday change. The 2018 and 2019 mintages totalled around 28 million coins, comfortably more than the entire 13-coin Beatrix Potter run. Three sensible routes to a complete six-coin set:
- From change. Likely 6–12 months of careful change-checking. The 2019 Tower of London is the easiest find; the 2018 Station is the genuine grind. The 2022 Platinum Jubilee pair was minted later and is correspondingly less common in current change.
- BU presentation cards. The Royal Mint released each year’s coins in individual sealed cards at £10 retail. Most are still available at £8–£15 each on the secondary market. A complete BU card set: £55–£90.
- Complete BU album. Change Checker and the Westminster Collection sell housing albums for the full Paddington series. Complete albums regularly trade at £60–£120 on eBay UK.
Where Paddington fits in the broader 50p picture
The Paddington 50p series is one of three flagship licensed-character runs the Royal Mint has issued since 2010. It sits between the Beatrix Potter series (2016–2018, the template-setter) and the Harry Potter series (2022 onwards, the scaling-up of the formula).
Compared with the much larger London 2012 Olympic 50p set — 29 designs in a single year — the Paddington programme is small, focused and on-brand. For the full 50p denomination context across all commemoratives from 1969 to today, see our 50p coin values UK guide. Errors and varieties on Paddington 50ps are rare and mostly limited to weak strikes; for the full UK error register see our UK coin errors list.
Featured Paddington coins on MyCoinage
Browse every Paddington coin in our database →
Buy a Paddington 50p
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The 2018 Paddington at the Station (5,001,000) is the lowest-mintage circulating issue. The 2022 Platinum Jubilee pair carries the strongest secondary-market premium. BU cards typically sit at £8–£15 per coin; the silver Piedforts at £120–£200.
2018 Paddington at the Station ↗ 2018 Paddington at the Palace ↗ 2019 St Paul’s and Tower ↗ 2022 Platinum Jubilee ↗ Complete six-coin album ↗ Silver Piedfort prices ↗ Slabbed examples (sold) ↗
Frequently asked questions
How many Paddington 50p coins are there?
Which Paddington 50p is the rarest?
How much is a 2018 Paddington 50p worth?
Who designed the Paddington 50p coins?
What is the Platinum Jubilee Paddington 50p connection?
Are the silver and gold Paddington proofs worth buying?
How can I tell a real Paddington 50p from a fake?
Will there be more Paddington coins?
Where do I find Paddington 50ps in change?
How much is a complete Paddington 50p album worth?
Are Paddington 50ps a good investment?
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What does “Piedfort” mean?
Further reading
- Royal Mint mintage figures — the official source for circulating mintage data.
- Royal Mint shop — current Paddington commemorative releases.
- Baldwin’s of St James’s — auction realisations for Piedfort and gold-proof issues.
- Spink — specialist coin auction house with regular UK modern decimal sales.
- 50p coin values UK — the full denomination context.
- Where to sell rare coins UK — venue-by-venue commission breakdown.
- Coin collecting glossary — BU, proof, Piedfort and other terms.
- How to grade a coin — UK and Sheldon scales explained.