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Milestones in the decimal coinage of the Isle of Man

Started by <k>, October 14, 2011, 07:26:54 PM

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<k>


The Isle of Man



Britain and the Isle of Man


From Wikipedia:

The Isle of Man, otherwise known simply as Mann, is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. It has a population of around 85,000, and its capital is Douglas. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The island is not part of the United Kingdom, but its foreign relations and defence are the responsibility of the UK Government.

The island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. It began to be influenced by Gaelic culture in the 5th century AD, and the Manx language, a branch of the Gaelic languages, gradually emerged. In the 9th century, the Norse began to settle there. A Norse-Gaelic culture arose and the island came under Norse control. In 1266, the island became part of Scotland. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal overlordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested into the British Crown in 1764 but the island never became part of Great Britain or its successor the United Kingdom and retained its status as an internally self-governing Crown dependency.
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<k>


The flag of the Isle of Man.


The flag of the Isle of Man features a triskele, composed of three armoured legs with golden spurs, upon a red background. It has been the official flag of Mann since 1932 and is based on the Manx coat of arms, which dates back to the 13th century.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

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<k>


The Manx Coat of Arms.


The coat of arms was granted by Elizabeth II in 1996. The crest is an imperial crown. The supporters are a peregrine falcon (left) and a raven (right). The motto is: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit ("Wherever you throw it, it will stand").

The heraldic device of the triskele or triskeles has been associated with the Isle of Man for centuries. The supporters are symbolically associated with the island as well. In 1405, Henry IV, King of England gave the Isle of Man to John Stanley. In return, Stanley gave Henry two peregrine falcons. The raven is a bird strongly associated with Norse mythology, and appears in numerous place names on the island.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#4



Between 1679 and 1839, the Isle of Man issued its own tokens and coins.

They were legal tender and circulated alongside British coins.

The last circulation pre-decimal Isle of Man coins were struck in 1839.

However, a few trials / patterns were struck between 1841 and 1864.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

In the 1960s, the Isle of Man considered issuing its own coins and banknotes once more. The other two Crown Dependencies, Jersey and Guernsey, already had their own circulating coins and banknotes.

Royal Mint documents that I have read in the National Archives, London, show that in the early 1960s the Isle of Man asked the UK government for permission to reintroduce its own coinage. The documents state that the Isle of Man's frank motive was to make some money from sales of the sets. The UK Home Office was not keen on the idea of yet another local currency but did not want to stand in Mann's way. Officials were also unsure about Mann's right to mint coinage, but Mann pointed out it had been done before in the 19th century. UK government officials felt that the right to do so was probably implicit anyway in the Act that allowed Mann to produce its own banknotes.

In 1965 the Manx artist Bryan Kneale was invited by the Royal Mint to produce circulation designs for the Isle of Man. The Royal Mint artist Norman Sillman was assigned to produce models of Kneale's designs, but delays set in over the course of 1965. Eventually it was suggested to Mann that they might delay the plan until decimalisation, to avoid going through the process twice in a short space of time. To read more about these unfinished designs, click on the link below:

Isle of Man: Prototype designs
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<k>

#6



There were signs in the 1960s that the Isle of Man was gearing up to produce its own coins again.

In 1965 it issued a set of gold coins to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Revestment Act.

The Act meant that Mann became a dependency of the British Crown.
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<k>

#7


In 1970, the Isle of Man issued a collector coin, a crown (five shillings), depicting the Manx cat, which famously has no tail.
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<k>

Decimalisation.

The UK was already preparing for decimalisation, due to take place in 1971, and in 1968, in order to begin to familiarise the public with the decimal system, had introduced circulation 5p and 10p coins. These co-circulated with the UK shilling and two shilling coins. Five pence was equivalent to a shilling, ten pence to two shillings. Both coins included the word "NEW" in the denominational legend, in order to distinguish them from the "old" pre-decimal pence. These coins also circulated on the Isle of Man, where at the time only UK coinage was legal tender, though the coinage of the Republic of Ireland was also widely accepted on Mann.

In 1969 the UK introduced the 50 pence coin. This served two purposes: to replace the ten shilling banknote, and to get the public used to another decimal coin before decimalisation occurred in 1971. Again, this coin also circulated on the Isle of Man.
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<k>


The Arnold Machin portrait of the Queen on a decimal Manx penny.


On the 15th February 1971 the UK went decimal, and the new halfpenny, penny and two pence coins were now introduced into circulation. Because the other three decimal coins had already been introduced, the process went very smoothly. These coins now also circulated on the Isle of Man.

Now that decimalisation was official, the Isle of Man issued its own full set of decimal coins, the first Manx coins to be issued since 1859. The obverse of the coins bore the relatively new official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin, whilst the inscription read "ELIZABETH THE SECOND" and also included the year of issue.

The reverse of the Manx coinage was designed by the Royal Mint artist Christopher Ironside. Like the UK coins, the Manx coins included the word "NEW" in the denomination, to refer to the fact that these were decimal pence and not the old pre-decimal pence.

Coincidentally, Mr Ironside had also designed the UK's decimal reverses. The contrast between the reverse designs of the UK coinage and that of the Isle of Man could not, however, have been starker. Whilst the UK designs were rather conservative and formal, consisting mainly of heraldic devices, the Manx designs were thematic, and evoked superbly the Celtic and Norse heritage of the Isle of Man.
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<k>

#10


The halfpenny depicts a cushag flower (Jacobaea vulgaris), the Isle of Man's national flower.
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<k>

#11


The penny featured a ancient Celtic ring chain pattern.
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<k>



The two pence portrayed two hooded falcons.

These were a tribute formerly paid by the Lord of Man to the King on his coronation.
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<k>



The Tower of Refuge appeared on the reverse of the Manx five pence coin.

The Tower of Refuge is a Gothic edifice built in 1832.

It stands on Conister Rock, just outside Douglas harbour.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.