New Winnie-the-Pooh Eeyore 50p launches today – with some worth more than £1,000

The Royal Mint has brought out a range of new 50ps inspired by the much-loved character of Eeyore from the Winnie-the-Pooh books, and Brits can buy them from today

Brits can get their hands on a new 50p today – featuring the much-loved character of Eeyore from the Winnie-the-Pooh books.

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.

The new coin is actually part of a range of Eeyore 50ps released by the Royal Mint – but you are unlikely to ever see them turn up in your change.

That is because the coins are being aimed at collectors, and prices range from £10 to a whopping £1,095.

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 from today 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.

Most are not worth more than their face value – i.e. 50p.

But some can fetch far more when sold due to their value to collectors.

Rare designs on the reverse – or ‘tails’ – side of the coin can increase their resale value, as can limited numbers made or errors in manufacture.