Iconic Beatrix Potter character Peter Rabbit will mark 120th anniversary on special £5 coin

Iconic Beatrix Potter character Peter Rabbit will mark 120th anniversary by featuring on special £5 coin

  • Coin features Peter Rabbit in his blue coat hopping through wildflower meadow
  • Launched today, it is available on Royal Mint’s website together with gold and silver edition
  • The coin will not enter circulation and marks 120 years since the first publication of The Tale Of Peter Rabbit  

Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit features on a coloured £5 coin to mark 120 years since the children’s favourite first hit the shelves.

The fluffy-tailed mischief-maker is depicted in his trademark blue coat hopping through a wildflower meadow. 

Launched today, it is available on the Royal Mint‘s website together with a gold and silver edition. The coin will not enter circulation.

Ffion Gwillim, who designed the piece, said: ‘I knew from the beginning that I wanted the coin to be cheerful and have a celebratory feel. I took inspiration from the colourful floral illustrations seen throughout the book.’

The fluffy-tailed mischief-maker is depicted in his trademark blue coat hopping through a wildflower meadow

Ffion Gwillim (pictured), who designed the piece, said: 'I knew from the beginning that I wanted the coin to be cheerful and have a celebratory feel. I took inspiration from the colourful floral illustrations seen throughout the book'

Ffion Gwillim (pictured), who designed the piece, said: ‘I knew from the beginning that I wanted the coin to be cheerful and have a celebratory feel. I took inspiration from the colourful floral illustrations seen throughout the book’

Clare Maclennan, from the Royal Mint, said: ‘The coin is itself a beautiful work of art for collectors of all ages.’

She added: ‘Coins remain Britain’s favourite collectable item.

‘Their appeal continues to reach new collectors with the increasing popularity of our childhood character coins, which celebrate some of the greatest childhood stories and characters we know and love on official UK coin.

The gold edition of the coin

The silver edition of the coin

Launched today, it is available on the Royal Mint’s website together with a gold and silver edition. The coin will not enter circulation.

‘The collectable Peter Rabbit £5 crown is the latest release in the series, marking the 120th anniversary of the mischievous, loveable rabbit.’

The release marks 120 years since the first publication of The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, which has been celebrated on coins by the Royal Mint since 2016.

Ms Gwillim said she used the original storybook illustrations as her reference to create the ‘cheerful and celebratory’ scene.

Speaking about the design, she said: ‘Taking the different floral elements from pages in the book to create a new scene on a round coin was a welcomed design challenge – applying colour to such a detailed coin also took a lot of care and precision.’

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