The Snowman 50p (2023)
On the 2023 Snowman 50p, the Snowman and James dance under the Northern Lights, and it was the first Snowman coin with King Charles III on the heads side. It was the sixth Christmas 50p and never went into circulation. It is the sixth of the eight Snowman 50p coins and one of the 172 50p designs struck since 1969.
The Snowman 50p value
- Uncirculated
- typical £13, range £10 to £15
Worked out from 6 published prices (3 dealer prices, 2 sold-price reports and 1 price guide), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Every 2023 Snowman 50p was made to collector standard, so handling and packaging decide its price. Coins kept in the Royal Mint pack and card sell for more than ones moved to a capsule, and scratches or fingerprints cut into that. Its limited colour edition, and the proofs in silver and gold, are priced on their own.
The Snowman 50p mintage and rarity
The Snowman 50p was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.
How to spot The Snowman 50p
Turn the coin over first: the 2023 Snowman 50p has King Charles III, facing left, where every earlier Snowman coin has the Queen. On the tails side the Snowman and James dance together beneath the Northern Lights. The 2024 and 2025 King Charles coins both feature a Christmas tree instead, so the dancing pair and the 2023 date settle it. The colour edition shows the scene printed in colour.
Known varieties of The Snowman 50p, all listed among the UK error coins and varieties:
- Colour edition: A colour-printed brilliant uncirculated edition, with an issue limit of 10,000.
The Snowman 50p design
The sixth Snowman 50p brought the series into a new reign. It was the first Snowman coin to carry Martin Jennings' uncrowned portrait of King Charles III, facing left, in place of Queen Elizabeth II, with CHARLES III, 50 PENCE and the date in the legend. For the tails side Robin Shaw set the Snowman and James dancing together with the Northern Lights glowing above them. The Royal Mint released the coin on 23 October 2023, sold either in trade packaging or in a Royal Mint pack with a Christmas card. From 6 November to Christmas Eve, visitors at the Mint's Llantrisant site could strike one themselves. A colour edition with a fixed issue limit was offered too, and the design was also struck as silver and gold proofs.
In the Snowman set it followed The Snowman and The Snowdog 50p of 2022 and came before The Snowman 50p of 2024.
The Snowman 50p specifications
- Denomination
- 50p
- Year
- 2023
- Type
- Commemorative
- Issue
- Not issued for circulation
- Series
- The Snowman
- Occasion
- The Snowman, Raymond Briggs' picture book, sixth Christmas 50p and the first with King Charles III
- Designer
- Robin Shaw
- Composition
- Cupro-nickel
- Weight
- 8 g
- Diameter
- 27.3 mm
- Shape
- Seven-sided
- Edge
- Plain
- Obverse
- Charles III, first portrait by Martin Jennings
The Snowman 50p questions
Is the 2023 Snowman 50p the first with King Charles III?
Yes. Martin Jennings' portrait of the King appeared on a Snowman 50p for the first time in 2023. The 2022 Snowman and The Snowdog coin came out after the Queen's death but still shows her.
Can you get a 2023 Snowman 50p in change?
Only if someone spends one. The Royal Mint issued it solely for collectors, in brilliant uncirculated packs, through distributors and as a coin visitors could strike themselves in Llantrisant, with colour and precious-metal proof editions besides.