For many years, the circulation coins of the Isle of Man featured three small triskelions on the obverse (and sometimes four).
The triskelion is the three-legged symbol of the Isle of Man.
1998 was an unusual year, because not only did the Isle of Man adopt the Rank Broadley effigy of the Queen, but the penny, the 2, 5 and 10 pence coins, and also the pound coin, came in two versions: with the triskelions and without them.
According to numista, the 1998 penny also came with the Maklouf obverse, which featured triskelions:
Numista: Isle of Man, regular circulation coins of 1998My question is, does anybody know why the two versions - with and without the triskelions - were issued in 1998? Was it an accident, or was it a ploy to sell more coins to collectors?
Also, has anybody seen the Maklouf version of the 1998 Manx penny?