FANS of the Gruffalo can snap up a new commemorative coin featuring the popular children’s character – but it comes with a hefty price tag.
The Royal Mint has produced a special 50 pence coin depicting the beast’s first meeting with Mouse in the woods.
The coin in not being generally circulated but is available to buy from the Royal Mint website for £10. A silver version is available for £65 and a gold Gruffalo coin is priced at £980.
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It comes months after the gold and silver versions of first Gruffalo 50 pence, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the book’s publication, sold out within a day of going on sale in February.
It featured a close-up illustration of the Gruffalo alone and, in the case of the Sterling silver version, featured an eye-catching full-colour image of the Gruffalo in orange, purple and brown.
Only 25,000 were minted, along with 600 of the gold coins, and no more will be produced.
Thousands of people have also joined a waiting list to get a copy of the £10 version once stocks are replenished after it too sold out.
It is unknown how many copies of the new Gruffalo coin will be minted but it is also expected to attract high interest from collectors and fans.
The story of brains over brawn, written by Glasgow-based children’s author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was first published 20 years ago. It has become a firm bedtime reading favourite for youngsters, having sold 14.5 million copies worldwide.
A sequel, The Gruffalo’s Child, was also turned into a 27-minute animated TV programme that premiered on the BBC on Christmas Day 2009 and was later nominated for an Academy Award.
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Nicola Howell, director of consumer at the Royal Mint, said: “Following the fantastic response to the Gruffalo’s debut appearance on a 50 pence coin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the book, we are delighted to introduce an additional coin capturing Mouse and Gruffalo’s first meeting, continuing the story of one of the world’s most favourite literary monsters on UK coins.”
Ms Donaldson said: “The launch of the first Gruffalo coins in February was a great 20th birthday present for him, and the issue of a second collectable 50 pence coin in the same year feels like the icing on his birthday cake.”
Mr Scheffler said: “Having never imagined that the Gruffalo would appear on a coin, it is great that we have two coins in the 20th year of the book. A love of the story unites children across the world and I hope that they will be able to cherish these stories for a long time.”
Other children’s favourites which have appeared on coins include a sell-out Beatrix Potter character collection as well as Paddington and The Snowman.
The value of limited edition coins to collectors depends partly on the total number minted.
The rarest remains 2009’s Kew Gardens 50 pence, of which only 210,000 were produced, followed by a 50 pence commemorating the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton, of which just 1.8 million were minted.
Figures are not yet available for the Royal Mint in 2019 to indicate total Gruffalo coin numbers.
An investigation by consumer experts Which? found that some recent commemorative coins were fetching high prices.
The 2016 Beatrix Potter -Squirrel Nutkin gold 50 pence was selling for up to £2,000 – despite a gold-content value of just £435.
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