Paddington at the Station 50p

Summary of Value & Key Facts

The 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p was issued for the 60th anniversary of A Bear Called Paddington. With a circulation mintage of 5,001,000, it is officially classed as a common coin on scarcity indexes, but strong collector demand still gives it a noticeable premium over face value.

Core specifications and guide values for the 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p (circulating and BU).

Paddington at the Station is basically a nostalgia grenade in coin form: classic children’s literature, a CGI film tie-in vibe, and a design that shouts “British” from about three metres away.

• Commemorative theme: Issued for the 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s first Paddington book, A Bear Called Paddington (1958). It’s also the first time Paddington Bear ever appeared on a UK coin, which is why demand was wild when it first dropped.
• Design: The reverse shows Paddington sitting on his suitcase on the platform at Paddington Station, with a train behind him and his famous tag reading “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” The design is based on the modern CGI/live-action movie version of Paddington rather than the older book illustrations.
• Rarity in context: With 5,001,000 coins in circulation, this is a common commemorative by mintage, but it sits in the “always in demand” bucket because:
  • Paddington has a huge fanbase outside traditional coin collecting, and
  • many coins are already locked away in kids’ collections, albums and souvenir folders.
  Change Checker gives it a Scarcity Index of 3 – low on the rarity scale but high on popularity.
• Circulating vs collector versions:
  • Circulated: The coins actually found in change – these show regular wear, bag marks and sometimes discolouration.
  • Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sold in official Royal Mint folders (product code UK18PSBU) and year sets. BU examples have sharp detail on Paddington’s duffle coat, suitcase and background train, with bright mint lustre.
  • Silver & gold proof: The same design was also issued as a silver proof (maximum mintage 75,000) and a gold proof (maximum mintage 1,250), aimed at higher-end collectors.
• Value behaviour: The coin is common enough that values are mostly demand-driven:
  • Circulated: roughly £1–£1.50 in the current market,
  • Uncirculated from bags: often around £1.50–£2,
  • BU in pack: around £4–£6+, with some sellers asking higher for pristine Royal Mint packaging.
• Collecting tip: For circulation finds, try to snag a coin with:
  • clear detail on Paddington’s face and tag,
  • a crisp outline on the suitcase and train,
  • minimal heavy scratches across the central design.
  For BU or proof versions, intact original Royal Mint packaging and certificates are the things that really move the needle on value.

Overall, the 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p is a core modern “character coin” – easy enough to find, but just special enough that most people who get one decide to hang onto it.