Rare Paddington Bear 50p coin being listed for as much as £30,000 on eBay

A rare coin expert has issued a warning over a rare coin being listed for as much as £30,000 on eBay. It was issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Paddington Bear

A rare coin expert has issued a warning over a rare coin being listed for as much as £30,000 on eBay. It was issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Paddington Bear, the fictional character of the films and books created by author Michael Bond.

More than 35 million books in the series have been sold worldwide, with plays, musicals, and animated series also being created of the famous bear. The coins themselves were released in 2018 and 2019, with more than 5million being created.

Four different types were actually created, with the fun design showing the fifth coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark on one side. The reverse shows Paddington Bear outside various London landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, and - of course - Paddington Station.

And they are being listed for big money. The Coincollectingwizard - a rare coins expert - showed evidence of them being listed for as much as £30,000 on eBay. A quick glance on eBay at the time of writing shows one listed for £15,000.

However, it came with a warning. The expert said: "A Paddington Bear 50p selling for thousands - is this coin secretly worth a fortune People are listing these for £20,000 to £30,000 - what is going on here? Let's break it down before you start digging through your change.

"The Paddington Bear 50p was released in 2018 and 2019 to celebrate 60 years of Paddington. There are four different designs featuring everyone's favourite, marmalade-loving bear. They had over 5million coins minted and sent out into the wild for people to find in their change.

"So, how much is this coin really worth? Well, brace yourselves - it's just 50p. Yep, despite the crazy eBay prices, these are common coins with no hidden treasure value.

"And here's the truth - people can list their coins for any price, but that doesn't mean they're selling for that much. Always check sold listings for the real value. If you see a listing asking for thousands, it's just someone hoping for a clueless buyer to fall for the trap. Don't be that buyer."

Speaking about the release of the coin in 2019, Nicola Howell, director of consumer coins at The Royal Mint, said: "Following the huge popularity of the coins featuring the much-loved bear last year, we thought it was only right that Paddington continued his adventures around London on UK coinage.

"Paddington Bear is a massive part of British popular culture and is a favourite amongst fans of all ages, who we're sure will be looking out for him in their change."