Triskele!

[Figleaf]

I'm not aware of any IOM coins before 1709?

Look for the subheading 1688 on this page.

Peter

[andyg]

the 1668 issue....

"Although having the characteristics of a token, the penny issued in 1668 by John Murrey, an opulent trader in Douglas, merits a listing in the section by virtue of being the only piece specifically excluded from the Tynwald act of 24th June 1679, which prohibited the distribution and use of many of the tokens in circulation on the island, even including the Irish St Patrick pieces and Butchers' tokens.  The Murrey pieces, known locally as 'Johnny Murrey's pennies', were thus immediately elevated to the status of a legal coinage [...]

[...] the Murrey penny, poorly struck in brass, bears a typical 17th century token obverse with the issuer's name, and a reverse depicting the triune with it's customary legend.  A variety bears a legend instead of a triune."

Coincraft, 1999

[Numii_Anglii]

Peter Crouch, a real-life Triskelion.

[Ukrainii Pyat]

As one noted before the symbol goes back a couple of thousand years to Sicily, and was used on Syracusan coinage during the third century BC:



SICILY, Syracuse. Reign of Agathokles, c. 317-289 BC. AR 8-Litrai (6.85g). Head of Athena wearing Corinthian helmet left / Pegasus flying left, triskeles below. SNG ANS 684. A fascinating aspect of this coin is it's remarkable similarity to the well known Corinthian Staters from the same era. Like their modern descendants, ancient minters knew a good thing when they saw on it, and if they could improve upon the design all the better. What distinguishes this piece from the Corinth issues is the presence of the Sicilian "Triskeles" on the reverse of the piece under Pegasus. This "Triskeles" is symbolic of the island of Sicily.

[Prosit]

Why did Sicily use it?

Dale

[chrisild]

Why did Sicily use it?

Sicily did and, see the earlier posts of this topic, does use the triskele on its CoA and flag. Maybe the symbol became common in ancient times because of the sort-of-triangular shape of the island?

Christian

[Ukrainii Pyat]

Sicily did and, see the earlier posts of this topic, does use the triskele on its CoA and flag. Maybe the symbol became common in ancient times because of the sort-of-triangular shape of the island?

Christian

Indeed. 

[Numii_Anglii]

Sicily did and, see the earlier posts of this topic, does use the triskele on its CoA and flag. Maybe the symbol became common in ancient times because of the sort-of-triangular shape of the island?

Christian

Why did Sicily use it? 

[Prosit]

That is a good good question.  I have seen this discussed before and that always remains THE question.

Dale

Why did Sicily use it? 

[Figleaf]

A triskele is just a variety of the swastika. As wikipedia puts it: "Archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period." And about the triskele: "The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, including on Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BC) and Pisidia." In other words, it was just a symbol and it was available and some clans or city states thought it was neat. It may have symbolize something, or it may just have been different from what the neighbours had.

Peter

[Numii_Anglii]

And the Swastika in turn is just a symbol of the Sun?.. a once omnipresent God in the pantheon of most earlier religions would you say? He crops up everywhere even in the Americas as a significant deity - not surprising really, as the Sun is the giver of all life here on earth when you think about it. 

[Prosit]

Air is pretty important to as a giver of life 

Dale

And the Swastika in turn is just a symbol of the Sun?.. a once omnipresent God in the pantheon of most earlier religions would you say? He crops up everywhere even in the Americas as a significant deity - not surprising really, as the Sun is the giver of all life here on earth when you think about it. 

[Figleaf]

And the Swastika in turn is just a symbol of the Sun?

Wouldn't we like to know ... but the symbol goes back into prehistoric times. What strikes me as a good option is (text from wikipedia): the ubiquity of the swastika symbol is easily explained by its being a very simple shape that will arise independently in any basket-weaving society. The swastika is a repeating design, created by the edges of the reeds in a square basket-weave. In other words, people just saw it at work and liked it. However, that theory is also speculation.

There is also some evidence that it might be a symbol of continuity or eternity.

Peter

[Numii_Anglii]

Very interesting, and the sun is (almost) continuous...

[malj1]

I'd have a 1709 example were it not for one particular ebay buyer who always outbids me

I'm not aware of any IOM coins before 1709?

Here are four of the 1709; I have had these since long before eBay!



And for 1668 the token that is referred to.... and later given legal tender status by an act of Tynwald.

 

I recall reading somewhere that the triskelion was a three armed throwing weapon otherwise similar to the Australian boomerang.