The Isle of Man's Treasure Trove

Located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, the Isle of Man is a self-governing British Dependency. It is only 32 miles long and 14 miles wide with a population of about 80,000. Sometimes called "Mann," the island may have been inhabited as early as 6500 BC.

The Iron Age saw Celtic influences and gave rise to the Manx language, one of two official languages of the island. The other is English.

In the 8th century, the Vikings established the legislature of Tynwald which governs the island to this day. From the 1200s to the 1700s, Scotland and England alternated rule over the island, but the Isle of Man never became a part of either country. Today, the Lord of Mann is Queen Elizabeth II and the island has been a crown dependency of Great Britain since 1765.

While the Isle of Man had standard currency in the 1800s, the modern age has seen an abundance of coins coming from this small island. Commissioning the private Pobjoy Mint, the Isle of Man produces circulating Pound sterling coins, actively traded Angel gold bullion, and hundreds of non-circulating commemorative designs. In fact, the Isle of Man is so prolific in its coin production that the sale of its coins has become an income source for the island and leads the way for the introduction of new issues in Great Britain.

Building a complete set of Isle of Man commemoratives can be daunting, and in many cases expensive, since large numbers are minted in silver and gold. For example, there are currently 447 different proof silver crowns and counting. An alternative to collecting the entire run is to select a subject. For example, choose from Flower Fairies, Fairy Tales, World War II, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, TT Motorcycle Races, and Soccer. Some issues run over a number of years, like the Olympics series. Some series only occur in one year like the 2004 Medals of WWII. A short-lived, small series is the Silver 5 Crowns, Proof (1987-1996). There are just 14 coins, each containing five ounces of silver. The Gold 5 Crowns, Proof (1996-2004) set requires just nine lunar five-ounce gold coins.

By far the most popular commemorative set of Man of Isle coins is the cat series. In fact, so much so, that the coins have been voted the "Most Popular Coin of the Year" internationally. The silver proof set requires 24 coins and has been produced every year since 1988. Choose from the Alley Cat, to the Himalayan to the 2012 Manx; the variety and designs are wonderful. Spend a little more money and buy the same set in circulation strikes or proof gold.

Next in popularity is the beautiful Angel gold bullion coinage. Production began in 1984 and features the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon. The design has changed three times in the coin's 25-year history. Denominations can be found in 1/20, 1/10, ¼, ½, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 ounces 999.9 fine gold. Coins can also be found in both circulation strikes and proof.

Angels can also be collected by privy mark. Beginning in 1994, the 1/20 ounce proof coins were issued with Christmas privy marks. They are as follows: 1994 North Star, 1995 Santa, 1996 Teddy Bear, 1997 Angel, 1998 Snowman, 1999 Fairy, 2000 Candle, 2001 Three Kings, 2002 Candy and 2003 Candy. In 2004, the Twelve Days of Christmas theme was introduced: 2004 Partridge in Pear Tree, 2005 Two Turtle Doves, 2006 Three French Hens, 2007 Four Calling Birds, 2008 Five Gold Rings, 2009 Six Geese a Laying, 2010 Seven Swans A-Swimming, and 2011 Eight Maids a Milking.

The Isle of Man PCGS Set Registry is in its early stages. We welcome any set suggestions you may have.