Isle of Man Coins
In poll position for 2019 – brand new Isle of Man TT £2 coins released!
Last year, two Isle of Man £2 coins were released for the special anniversary year of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, and now that the legendary races are in full swing, I’m sure you’ll be just as excited as I am to hear that two brand new TT £2 coins have been issued for 2019!
These coins are particularly special, as they mark 112 years since the first TT race in 1907 and the 100th race which will take place this year, due to no races being held during war time.
The reverse designs feature legendary rider, Steve Hislop racing the Tourist Trophy track.
The obverse features Jody Clark’s new portrait of HRH Queen Elizabeth II as seen on last year’s TT £2s and you might notice that this portrait looks quite different to UK coins, as the Queen’s shoulders are present in the design.
Commemorating racing hero, Steve ‘Hizzy’ Hislop
These coins celebrate Steve ‘Hizzy’ Hislop, 11 time winner of the notorious Tourist Trophy races.
Known by motoring enthusiasts world-wide as the ultimate road race, the 37.73 mile monster course takes place each year across the winding public roads on the Isle of Man.
In 1989 Hizzy rode into the history books as the first rider to lap at over 120mph! The 30th anniversary of this epic achievement has now been commemorated with two brand new coins that will enter circulation on the Isle of Man.
Hislop’s first win was in 1987, although he really stole the show in 1989 and 1991, winning three races in a week! His extraordinary racing career has cemented him as a hero of the TT mountain circuit.
Isle of Man TT numismatic history
Since the first Isle of Man TT coins were issued in 1981, they have proved incredibly popular amongst collectors and motoring enthusiasts alike, with some selling for over £700 on eBay!
The first Isle of Man TT coin was a 50p which featured famous motorcyclist Joey Dunlop and only 5,000 coins of this design were struck.
A new TT 50p has been released most years since 1981 by the Isle of Man, however commemorative £2, £5 and Crown coins have also been issued to mark the event, which just goes to show how important and incredibly popular the TT races are.
Last year the Isle of Man release two £2 coins commemorating racing legend Mike Hailwood’s 60th year since his first TT race and 40th year since his triumphant return.
Just 3,000 of each coin entered circulation on the Isle of Man and we saw unprecedented demand from collectors looking to add the coins to their British Isles collection.
In 2017 a special commemorative £5 coin was issued to celebrate 110 years of the TT. This coin featured the Roman God, Mercury, the Winged God of the Messengers.
Unusually, the coin was re-struck and re-dated in 2018, specially for collectors.
Another Isle of Man £2 coin to grip the attention of collectors isn’t actually another TT themed coin, but features three old-style cars racing and was issued in 1998 to celebrate the annual Rally, formerly known as the Manx Trophy Rally.
As with all Isle of Man coins, this coin isn’t actually legal tender in the UK, however we were lucky enough to come across this coin in our £2 coin hunt, which just goes to show why you should always be checking your change, as you never know which rare and interesting coins might turn up.
Due to the popularity of the previous motor racing themed coins, we expect that the brand new Isle of Man TT £2 coins featuring Steve Hislop will be very sought-after by collectors.
And, with just 15,000 of each design initially entering circulation on the Isle of Man, Isle of Man based Change Checkers are sure to become the envy of collectors everywhere!
Own both Isle of Man TT £2 coins!
Own the Isle of Man TT £2 coin duo in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
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The UK’s 12 sided £1 goes global!
Yesterday the Treasury announced that the UK’s 12 sided £1 coin would be going global, as overseas territories and Crown Dependencies will soon be able to create their own bespoke versions of the coin to replace the older £1 currently in circulation.
In 2017, the new Nations of the Crown 12 sided £1 made its UK debut, described by the Government as “the most secure of its kind in the world” due to the new design, featuring intermittent milled edges and micro-engraved denomination and year date which protects against criminals producing counterfeits copies. Before this, around 1 in every 30 round pound coins were in fact fakes.
As many territories and dependencies currently circulate their own version of the older pound coin, they will now be able to protect their currency with this secure cutting edge technology. These coins will be produced by The Royal Mint to the same security standards as our UK coinage to thwart counterfeit activity.
The Nations of the Crown £1 was designed by 15-year-old David Pearce following a public competition in 2015. The design is made up of the English rose, the Welsh leek, the Scottish thistle and the Northern Irish shamrock emerging from one stem within a royal coronet to represent the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
The Treasury expects the new versions struck for overseas territories and Crown Dependencies to feature images celebrating their heritage, history and culture to symbolise the close links with the UK.
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man all represent Crown Dependencies of the UK, whilst the UK overseas territories include Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Anguilla; British Antarctic Territory; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; St Helena and Dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha); Turk and Caicos Islands; Pitcairn Island; and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.
Robert Jenrick, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said:“These new designs will reflect the rich and varying British communities across the world.”
Lord Ahmad, the overseas territories minister, said: “As well as helping to boost their identity, these new coins will also bring increased security to each of these economies.”
So Change Checkers from overseas territories and Crown Dependencies can look forward to the new coins being released soon, but what design do you think should be featured for each? Let us know in the comments below.
Is this the last Isle of Man Round Pound?
In 2017 the Isle of Man released this Raven and Falcon Uncirculated £1 Coin and following the Treasury’s update, this could now be the very last Isle of Man Round Pound!
The hunt is on for the Isle of Man Wren £2 and other Manx Christmas coins!
Every Boxing Day on the Isle of Man, communities come together across the island to dance and sing in the streets around “the king of all birds“, the wren, who is paraded around on a decorative pole.
Hunt the Wren, as it is known on the island, has become one of the most popular yet more unusual Manx traditions in practice today.
Credit – Culture Vannin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The practice dates back to Pagan times and is thought to have descended from Celtic mythology and may have been influenced by Scandinavian Viking settlers during the 8th and 10th centuries.
Historically groups of boys dressed up in straw outfits, known as ‘wren boys’ would gather on St Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day) to hunt a sacred wren bird. They would then tie the bird to the top of a decorative pole and visit different houses, singing to receive money or presents for their display. Those who were generous and gave money to the boys would receive a feather from the bird as a thank you, and the collected money was used to host a village dance later in January.
Credit – oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com
Today the Hunt the Wren tradition is still a popular part of the islands seasonal festivities, and many communities come together to dance and raise money for charity. A replica of a wren is used nowadays instead of harming any real birds, and ribbons which are used to decorate the pole are handed out as good luck instead of the bird feathers.
This unusual community tradition is so special on the Isle of Man that it has been celebrated on a brand new £2 coin and only a limited number of these coins will enter circulation on the island.
This brand new £2 coin has been issued by The Isle of Man this festive season to celebrate the Manx tradition ‘Hunt the Wren’.
But it’s not the first time that the Hunt the Wren tradition has been celebrated on a coin, it was also featured on a 50p coin 24 years ago in 1994.
Credit – numista.com The Hunt the Wren 50p was issued in 1994 and features two young boys with a pole.
So to celebrate this new festive coin release from the Isle of Man, what better reason is there to take a look back at some of the festive designs issued on Isle of Man coinage over the years.
Here are a few of our favourites which show off how exciting Isle of Man coinage can be…
Just yesterday, the UK Royal Mint issued the first ever Christmas themed 50p coin to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale The Snowman™. And it’s safe to say the demand for the much anticipated coin has been overwhelming. It has been so popular in fact that the Silver Proof and Gold versions of the coin have already completely SOLD OUT.
But the Isle of Man have been way ahead of the UK and have already issued a few 50p coins over the years featuring the much-loved children’s character the Snowman. Issued in 2003, the first coin to feature the Snowman and James, the hero of the story, holding hands and dancing had a tiny mintage of just 10,000. Although not many of these coins are available on the secondary market, if you did want to add one to your collection, you’d be looking at parting with a minimum of £200!
The 2003 Snowman 50p from the Isle of Man is in high demand on the secondary market. Credit: eBay
The same design was issued in 2008 although these coins were not struck for general circulation. Fast forward to 2014 and the coin features the Snowman and James hugging with a Christmas tree in the background. As we already know, this coin regularly sells for 80 times its face value on secondary market selling sites such as eBay.
The 2014 Isle of Man 50p regularly sells for 80 times its face value. Credit: eBay
The Isle of Man have issued a wide range of Christmas themed 50ps over the last 40 years and it’s safe to say that any of these festive 50p coins would definitely be an envious addition to anyone’s collection. The mintages for Isle of Man festive 50ps have never exceeded 30,000 most likely due to the island having a population of less than 85,000 so it’s no wonder the coins are so sought-after.
The Isle of Man have issued a wide range of Christmas themed 50ps over the years. Credit: Numista and Coin Update
Let us know your favourite design ever issued on a festive coin and whether you’ve been able to add it to your collection.
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You can add the 2018 Isle of Man Hunt the Wren £2 coin to your collection here >>
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