Home 50p Coins Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p

Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p

by Simon Barker

mr jeremy fisher 50p

Information
  • Circulation: 9,700,000
  • Year issued: 2017
  • Value circulated: 50p
  • Value circulated in excellent condition: £2.50
  • Value uncirculated: £8.00
  • Composition: cupro-nickel
  • Scarcity index: 1

Beatrix Potter created some of our best loved children’s stories and one of her popular characters was Mr Jeremy Fisher. The Royal Mint produced a set of 50p coins to commemorate the 150th anniversary of her birth. Mr Jeremy Fisher is just one coin in the set. It is a nice item to collect and keep for children, who would love to collect the whole set.

History of the coin

Prior to decimalisation in 1971, Britain produced a few coins ready for the change. The 50 pence piece was one of these and was first minted in 1969. It was to replace the 10 shilling note and became the first 7 sided coin. It was also the largest in circulation so in 1997, a new coin was produced which was smaller and easier to handle.

In 2016 a set of 50p Beatrix Potter commemorative coins was minted, and as these were so popular, more coins were added over the next 2-3 years. The set showed some of Beatrix Potters’ most famous and popular characters, and Mr Jeremy Fisher was among them.

Beatrix Potter was born in London, but she spent a lot of her time in the Lake District. She loved the countryside and took a great interest in it, sketching much of the wildlife. Some of her sketches were turned in to greetings cards, while others became stories.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was her first book published in 1902. The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher was her 8th book, published in 1906.

About Mr Jeremy Fisher

Mr Jeremy Fisher is a frog. He lives in a house by a pond and loves water.

One day he goes fishing for minnows, intending to invite some friends for tea. He first catches a stickleback which pricks him, then a trout which seizes him and drags him to the bottom of the pond where he loses all his fishing equipment. Mr Jeremy Fisher escapes and hops home, vowing never to fish again.

His friends still visit for tea, bringing their own treats with them.

Like most of her stories, this is based on some of Potter’s own experiences. She kept frogs as a child and she accompanied her father on many of his fishing trips.

How Many Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p Coins Were Made?

The Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p was produced in 2017. It was one of the coins released as part of a 2nd issue of the Beatrix Potter collection. Approximately 9.7 million of these coins were circulated.

Design and Designer

  • Front design:

The front of the coin shows Mr Jeremy Fisher in his mackintosh with his name written around the top left hand side.

  • Obverse design:

The 5th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark.

  • Designer: Emma Noble

The coins in the Beatrix Potter collection were all designed by Emma Noble.

She has worked at the Royal Mint for many years, and her designs include the coin produced to commemorate the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the coin commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

She is an engraver and she uses this to bring her coin designs to life. She used a popular image of Mr Jeremy Fisher as the basis for her design for this coin.

Variations

The Mr Jeremy Fisher 50p was released as part of a collection and 9.7 million were put in to circulation.

  • Limited Issue Silver Proof coins with colour illustrations are available from the Royal Mint.
  • Brilliant Uncirculated coins are also available.

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