Isle of Man: 5 pounds Manx Wildlife Trust series 2019/2020

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Usually I am not really into collectors coins. This series however drew my attention as there is now a significant delay in their release and I have doubt that they will still actually be issued. 3 of the coins are dated 2019 and the other 3 are dated 2020. They were sheduled to commemorate the Manx Wildlife Trust and the Manx wildlife in general. The coins were first announced ia press release of the Manx government in December 2019 and were to be launched on the World Money Fair in February 2020. Whether the coins were also visible there remains unknown. The Manx government was planning to make the release of Manx wildlife 5 pound coins an annual tradition.

The Treasury of the Isle of Man in December 2019 said:

The Isle of Man has a rich and diverse wildlife of native and imported species, as well as those lost and then reintroduced to the Island. I am pleased that we can showcase our unique and special wildlife to the world in this way.  It has been a pleasure to provide input for this project which we hope will benefit our wildlife in general and, of course, the Manx Wildlife Trust in the future. We all have a duty of care to our wildlife and the biodiversity of the Island. This collection will help to promote the Isle of Man’s Biosphere status and will contribute to its continuation.

Tower Mint director Elliot Dawson at the time remarked:

Tower Mint is proud to be launching the first coins in the Manx Wildlife Collection, which mark the beginning of an annual series. It is being carefully developed to capture true lifelike designs, offering coin collectors the opportunity to see these amazing and somewhat rare species on the Isle of Man.

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The designs for the coins of 2019 depict the grey seal, mountain hare and peregrine falcon. The denomination will also be depicted on the reverse.

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The other two 2019-dated 5 pound coins that are part of the series.

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The designs for the coins of 2020 depict the basking shark, Manx shearwater and lesser mottled grasshopper. On these coins the denomination is included on the obverse.

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The other two 2020-dated 5 pound coins that are part of the series.

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It will be interesting to see whether the coins will still be issued, and if not, if pattern strikes exist. When asked the Manx Wildlife Trust, which was promissed a part of the proceeds, commented that unfortunately the coins are still being developed at Tower Mint. They don't have a reliable idea of when they will be issued but hope to in the future be able to sell them in their shop on the island.

I like it that all of the animals depicted on the coins actually live on the Isle of Man. The designs are nice too, certainly the ones for the 2020-dated coins. It appears to me that 2 different artists made the designs for respectively 2019 and 2020.