The Royal Mint has concealed a gold 50p coin celebrating The Snowman within one of its advent calendars.
Priced at £39.95, each calendar contains 23 chocolate treats.
Behind door 24, buyers will typically find a brilliant uncirculated colour edition of The Snowman 2026 50p.
However, a single calendar features a hidden 22-carat gold version—individually valued at £2,495 by The Royal Mint—allowing one customer to strike gold on Christmas Eve.
Alongside the advent calendars, members of the public can purchase the new Snowman coins individually from £19.95.
Produced in partnership with Snowman Enterprises Limited, the collection includes brilliant uncirculated, colour, gold, and silver editions. The commemorative 50p showcases a fresh festive artwork designed by animator and illustrator Robin Shaw.
The design depicts The Snowman decorating a Christmas tree alongside young James.
First published in 1978 as a wordless picture book, The Snowman has since sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. The book inspired an animated short film that was first broadcast on Channel 4 on December 26 1982.
The 2026 release marks the ninth time The Snowman has featured on an official UK coin, The Royal Mint said.
Since The Snowman first appeared on a Royal Mint 50p in 2018, close to 700,000 coins featuring the character have made their way into collections globally across 75 different countries, the Mint said.
Royal Mint previously hid a solid gold Snowman coin inside an advent calendar in 2024.
Read MoreUK to decide on drilling North Sea ‘shortly’ as energy bills rise
Martin Lewis issues major car finance compensation update as new court date set
78% of students encountering scams say it happened in first months of university
