A much-loved character features on a new 50p coin which is available now from the Royal Mint. Eeyore from the Winnie-the-Pooh books is the star of the coin but you are unlikely to ever find it in your change.
That is because the coins are being aimed at collectors, and prices range from £10 to a whopping £1,095. One side of the new 50p features an illustration of Eeyore, a melancholy donkey, along with his name, while the other portrays the Queen's head.
The Eeyore image is inspired by the classic original illustrations in Winnie-the-Pooh books by artist E.H. Shepard, reports the Daily Mirror. The new coin is actually part of a range of Eeyore 50ps released by the Royal Mint.
Read more: 50p coin sells for £650 - with millions more in circulation
The new basic Eeyore 50p is on sale for £10, and is made from cupro-nickel - the same metal alloy as normal 50ps. Coin lovers can also spend £20 on the same coin but with the Eeyore design in colour, rather than plain.
One step up from that is a 50p made of sterling silver, also with a coloured Eeyore design - and it will set you back £67.50. The most expensive 50p is made from 22-carat red gold, and costs £1,095.
The coins have been dreamt up by Royal Mint designer Daniel Thorne. The coins are for sale on the Royal Mint website. The Eeyore range is part of a wider set of coins featuring characters from Winnie-the-Pooh books, including Tigger, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Winnie-the-Pooh himself.
Thorne said: "Using inspiration from the original decorations of E.H. Shepard has been a fantastic experience but one that has also tested me as a designer. With each design, so much care and attention has been given to remastering the iconic decorations for the canvas of a coin while staying true to the texts people know and love."
The first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926 by A.A. Milne and was inspired by his son, Christopher Robin Milne - immortalised as the character of Christopher Robin.
Winnie-the-Pooh was based on Christopher’s teddy bear, Edward. Father and son then named the character 'Winnie' after a bear called Winnie that lived in London Zoo and 'Pooh', after a swan they met on holiday.
You can view the full collection on the Royal Mint website, here. There are currently an incredible 71 different 50p coins in circulation - with another 29 released as commemorative objects and not meant to be spent. Many lucky Brits are selling these 50ps for as much as £11,000 - so check your change in case you get handed a coin that's worth thousands more than it first seems.
