A rare Paddington Bear Tower of London 50p has sold for £300 on eBay - here's how to tell if you have one

Monday, 20th January 2020, 11:35 am
Updated Monday, 20th January 2020, 1:03 pm

A 50p coin commemorating Paddington Bear has sold for 600 times its face value.

The rare coin, which shows the bear from Darkest Peru standing outside the Tower of London, sold for £300.

While it's not been confirmed whether the coin was in mint condition or not, the image used on the 50p's eBay page showed scratches on its face, suggesting it was not brand new.

Uncirculated versions of the coin - which are are normally in mint condition and in collector's packaging - can be worth even more to enthusiasts.

How do I know if I've got one?

The coin - which sold for the price that is was listed for after attracting just two bids - was one of two new 50 pence pieces minted to commemorate Paddington in 2019.

With the coin entering circulation less than a year ago, there's a relatively high chance one might show up in your change.

An unlimited number of the coins were sold for £10 in "brilliant uncirculated" condition, a higher standard than circulating coins, struck by machines that are both polished and finished by hand.

There was also 25,000 silver proof editions available for £65, and 600 gold proof editions for £850.

Silver proof coins are the only ones in colour, showing Paddington’s famous duffle coat in its bright blue colour - and not to forget his iconic red hat.

But until official mintage figures are released and we get a good idea of how many of the new coins will be in circulation, it's hard to say just how valuable they might be to collectors.

One coin features the iconic bear wearing his famous duffle coat and hat as he stands outside the Tower of London.

The other shows Paddington Bear tipping his hat as he stands in front of St Paul's Cathedral.

How much could they be worth?

If you do find a Paddington Bear coin in your back pocket, it could be worth even more than the £300 of the most recent newsworthy bids.

In 2018, Paddington Bear coins being sold on eBay were listed for as much as £3,000 pounds.

While it's likely these were starting prices from hopeful sellers, commemorative coins like this can often be worth more than their 50p face value.

When one of the specialised 60th anniversary coins was accidentally released ahead of time last year, it was found by a college student in Wales and sold on eBay for £16,000.

The student found the coin in her change after visiting a shop in Caerphilly, South Wales, just a few miles down the road from where The Royal Mint is based, in Llantrisant.

At the same time, you might not want to get too excited if you stumble across such a coin in your wallet; they will only sell will sell for what someone will pay for it.

A similar coin sold on eBay recently for just over 100 times its face value - £51.