The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse is a book by Beatrix Potter, illustrated and published by Frederick Warne Company in 1910. This book follows the journey of a wood mouse named Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse as she maintains her home despite unexpected guests. Mrs. Tittlemouse dreads the arrival of Mr. Jackson, a sloppy toad.
In this article we'll learn all about the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin issued by the Royal Mint to commemorate this amazing book by Beatrix Potter – but is this coin rare and how much is this coin worth today?
Let's explore the incredible story of this unique 2018 special edition 50p coin and learn about its value and rarity
Back in 2018, the Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin was released by the Royal Mint to celebrate the of Beatrix Potter's most loved children's tales, 'The tale of Mrs Tittlemouse’.
This is part of the third series of Beatrix Potter 50ps, following the highly popular 2016 and 2017 releases that coin collectors loved.
The character of Mrs Tittlemouse first appeared in Beatrix Potter's children's book The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies' which was first published in July 1909.
Originally produced by Potter as a book with a leather cover, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse was given as a New Year's gift to Nellie Warne, the young daughter of Potter's Publisher, Harold Warne.
History of the coin
The story follows Mrs. Tittlemouse, a wood mouse, as she faces the challenges of maintaining a tidy home. She encounters and rejects unwanted guests such as beetles, a ladybird, and a large spider seeking shelter from the rain. In one of her pathways, she encounters Babbitty Bumble, a bumblebee. Inside a storeroom, she finds a nest of four additional bees that she can't remove.
Mrs. Tittlemouse sends the uninvited ladybird away with a variant of the traditional nursery rhyme Ladybird, Ladybird: "Your house is on fire, Mother Ladybird! Fly away home to your children!". She then bumps into a spider who asks her: "Beg pardon, is this not Miss Muffet's?", a reference to the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet.
As she returns to her parlour, she discovers her neighbour from the drain below, Mr. Jackson the toad, comfortably seated in her rocking chair. wet and dripping water onto the floor. He stays for dinner, but doesn't eat any food Mrs. Tittlemouse offers him; she cleans up his footprints while he searches for honey. Mr. Jackson removes the bees' nest when he finds it.
After Mr. Jackson leaves, Mrs. Tittlemouse spends two weeks cleaning up the mess in her home. She narrows her front door using twigs. Then she throws a party for five other mice. Mr. Jackson, unable to fit through the door, sits outside drinking honey.
This special edition 50p coin was issued in 2018 to celebrate this much-loved character.
Have you found this coin in your change?
The Beatrix Potter 50p collection
A total of five Emma Noble-designed coins featuring favourites including Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-duck , and Squirrel Nutkin were released in 2016.
Due to the coins' enormous popularity, the Royal Mint decided to continue the series in 2017 with a new coin set that included Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and Peter Rabbit once more.
Another Peter Rabbit coin, Mrs. Tittlemouse, The Tailor of Gloucester, and Flopsy Bunny were the ones that came after them in 2018.
2019 and 2020 saw the release of a collector's edition Peter Rabbit coin, continuing the series.
It is clear that this series of 50p coins is by far the most loved and sought-after.
According to the most recent eBay and Amazon sales, the value of the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin, in good circulated condition and excluding any postage or selling costs, is around £4.75. So, at over nine times its face value, it's a good addition to your collection if you find it in your change.
Design of the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin
The cupro-nickel form of the coin has a plain edge, is 27.3mm in diameter, weighs 8g, and is 1.78mm thick.
Emma Noble, a Royal Mint engraver, designed the reverse side of the coin to feature the image of the famous Mrs Tittlemouse.
The image on the reverse shows a wide-eyed Mrs Tittlemouse rabbit, dressed in her familiar outfit and carrying a basket with her dinner.
She is looking to her left, heading to the market, and pointing with a paw. The text above says MRS. TITTLEMOUSE.
The lowercase initials EN grace the bottom of the mouse's gown, delicately positioned towards the coin's lower right. They serve as an emblem of the designer.
The Reverse image is designed by Emma Noble. Emma Noble had designed the 2015 coins to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter. When the Royal Mint issued additional Beatrix Potter coins in 2016, Emma Noble was again chosen to design them. Her designs were once again seen on 2017 and 2018 coins, including the Mrs Tittlemouse coin. Her designs were also featured on the 2019 collector edition Peter Rabbit coin.
Emma Noble had worked at the Royal Mint for 20 years before she was chosen to design the Beatrix Potter series of coins. She had previously worked on pieces commemorating the Diamond Jubilee and Remembrance Sunday.
The obverse of the coin features the 2015 coinage portrait of the Queen by Jody Clark, the first Royal Mint employee to create a portrait in 100 years – the practice is usually completed by artists working outside of the Mint. The inscription ‘ELIZABETH II.D.REG.F.D.50 PENCE.2018’ appears around the portrait.
On the obverse side, running continuously around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE ·2018.
Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, followed by the value and denomination in English.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials J.C for Jody Clark.
Jody Clark was the youngest person to design the monarch’s profile on this currency at the age of just 33. Jody Clark was also the first Royal Mint employee to design a UK definitive coin portrait in more than 100 years.
He had only been working at the Royal Mint for about two years prior. The new design would be the first time her portrait had been changed in 17 years.
Jody Clark’s design was unveiled in 2015 as the fifth definitive coinage portrait of Her Majesty and the fourth portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in circulation.
Specifications:
Mintage of the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p Coin
The 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin was released in 2018 and is one of the fifteen coins minted in the Beatrix Potter 50p series between 2016 and 2020.
Official figures from the Royal Mint's website show that the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin had the third highest mintage of the 4 coins released that year, with a mintage of just 1.7 million.
Additionally, the coin was also minted as a Brilliant Uncirculated variety in individual presentation folders as well as complete sets, in addition to silver proof versions.
All the 2018 Beatrix Potter 50p coins had a relatively low mintage with the rarest 50p coins in the Beatrix Potter series being the 2018 Peter Rabbit and the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p coin, which both have a mintage of 1.4 million. To complete the series that year, the 2018 Tailor of Gloucester 50p had a mintage of just 1.7 million,
For reference, the 2016 Jemima 50p coin had a mintage of 2.1 million, the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p coin had a mintage of 8.8 million, the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p coin had a mintage of 9.7 million and the 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p coin had a mintage of 6.9 million.
Is the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p Coin Rare?
The 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p is one of the rarer Beatrix Potter commemorative 50p coins in circulation in Britain today with just 1.7 million released in 2018.
So with a mintage of under 2 million, the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p is considered a rare coin and they are getting harder and harder to find as collectors want them for their collections.
Also, given the popularity of the Beatrix Potter coins, the coin is still highly sought after. The 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p can still be found in your change and as collectors are adding them to their collections, the coin is becoming more scarce.
How much is the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p worth today?
As we said, it is always it is difficult to put an exact price on a coin as all coins vary in condition, but we would expect the circulated 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p, in good condition to be worth around £4.75 in today's market excluding any postage costs.
Where Can I Buy the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p Coin?
You can buy the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin online on auction sites such as eBay or Amazon but please ensure you look at all the information and reputation of the seller.
Alternatively, you can buy it from us by clicking here.
Unfortunately, as this coin is now 5 years old, the Royal Mint no longer stocks this coin so it is only available to buy on the secondary market.
Are there any known errors of this coin?
The Royal Mint has not confirmed any error versions of the 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse 50p coin.
Bit of Trivia...
Potter's books have been translated into almost 30 languages, including Greek and Russian. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse was translated into Afrikaans in 1930 as Die Verhaal van Mevrou Piekfyn and into Dutch in 1970 as Het Verhaal die Minetje Miezemuis. Under licence to Fukuinkan-Shoten of Tokyo, in the 1970s The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse and 11 other stories were released in Japanese.
In 1986, MacDonald observed that the Potter books had become a traditional part of childhood in both English-speaking lands and those in which the books had been translated.