Manx Angels are

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

bullion coin Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes fro ...

s distributed by the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and minted by private companies. The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom. It is a Crown dependency and thus can mint its own coins. The coin depicts

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

slaying a dragon. The silver coins have not been minted every year, but have an erratic schedule. Angels are

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in ...

but they do not have a fixed face value; instead, like the

Krugerrand The Krugerrand (; ) is a South African coin, first minted on 3 July 1967 to help market South African gold and produced by Rand Refinery and the South African Mint. The name is a compound of ''Paul Kruger'', the former President of the South A ...

or Mexico's Libertad, they are legal tender to the value of their precious metal content.

Specifications

The gold coins contain various amount of

fineness The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardne ...

. Depending on the year and the coin's size, it could contain 91.7% gold (.917 fine), 99.9% gold (.999 fine) or 99.99% gold (.9999 fine). The silver coins either contain 99.9% silver (.999 fine) or 99.99% silver (.9999 fine). The following table lists the coin's gold weight in

troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

ounces and the total weight of the coin in grams.

Design

Obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

: Shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the text ''Isle of Man'' and ''Elizabeth II'' in capitals. There have been four different portraits of Queen Elizabeth used on the coins. The 1984 coin showed the second coin portrait, done when the Queen was in her early 40s. The third coin portrait, of the Queen in her 50s, was used between 1985 and 1997. The fourth portrait, of the 70-year old Queen, was used between 1998 and 2014. Since 2015, the fifth coin portrait has been used.

Reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...

: Shows Archangel Michael fighting the dragon. In small lettering beneath the dragon, metal content, coin size and

are given. The design is framed by an elaborate Viking knit motif border with the island's coat of arms, the

triskele A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry. The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean spirals, or represent three bent human legs. It is found in artefacts of ...

, appearing at the top, above the ship's flag. The motif of Michael or a Saint slaying a dragon is found in other coins. Michael is used in Ukraine's Archangel Michael gold and silver bullion coins. Russia's Saint George the Victorious bullion coins show

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

slaying a dragon. The United Kingdom's Sovereign gold bullion also show Saint George fighting a dragon. There have been three primary designs for the Angel. From 1984 to 1993, the Angel faced left. From 1994 to 2007, the Angel faced right. In 2008 and from 2010 to 2015, the Angel still faced right, but in a more upright position. The Angel changed back to the left facing pose starting in 2016. Some left facing coins were produced in 2014. The 2009 version of the coin had three different designs that haven't been produced before or since.

History and mintages

The Isle of Man has used three private mints to make their Angel coins, the English

Pobjoy Mint British Pobjoy Mint is a privately held company-sector mint located in Surrey, England, which produces commemorative coins, medal, tokens and bullion. The mint also manufacturers circulating currency for some British Overseas Territories and sove ...

from 1984 until 2016, Liechtenstein's Coin Investment Trust (CIT) and the English Tower Mint for coins after 2016 . Several bimetallic coins have been minted. A 1995 quarter-ounce gold centered, platinum ring coin. A 2007 one-ounce gold coin with a silver ring. A 2011 one-ounce with the ring made of gold and the center platinum. A two-ounce silver coin was produced in 2017 and 2018 with 999 minted each year. The 2015 silver coin had gilding applied to the Angel side of the coin and the 2017 silver coin had gilded highlights. Each year, the -ounce gold coins had a different

privy mark A privy mark was originally a small mark or differentiation in the design of a coin for the purpose of identifying the mint, moneyer, some other aspect of the coin's origin, or to prevent counterfeiting. One of the first instances of a privy mark ...

above the dragon's head. Each year's privy mark related to a different day from the song ''

12 Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...

''. The following table shows mintages of proof coins unless noted with a (b).
NR - Mintage numbers not released
(b) - Brilliant uncirculated finish. Not a proof coin

References

{{Reflist Dragons in art Michael (archangel) Bullion coins of the Isle of Man Gold bullion coins Silver bullion coins

Specifications

Design

History and mintages

See also

References