1980 1/2 Sov. with Oden's Raven (Viking Ship) Privy to commemorate the Millennium, not Newmannium, of Tynwald and the New York Viking Exhibition at which the ship was displayed after sailing from Trondheim to Peel.

The IoM is considering removing all 1p, 2p, & 5p coins from circulation. With no 1p & 2p coins having been minted since 2016, and the cost of producing such coins being greater than their face value, it is most likely that their fate is sealed and they will almost certainly be removed from circulation. The 5p could be saved depending on public feedback but I think it's 50/50 at best, whether or not 5p coins will remain in circulation.

The IoM Treasury closed the consultation period, where the public could weigh in, on June 28th and are now going through the responses. A summary will be published and then the Treasury will consider whether or not to proceed with the proposals to withdraw the coins from circulation.

The last minting of 1p & 2p coins coincides with production moving from Pobjoy to Tower Mint in 2017, Tower Mint having won the contract to produce IoM coins until at least 2027. The current 1p, 2p, & 5p coins are available but there is not a lot of selection out there, so finding nice examples can take a little time.

Current reverse designs pictured.

The Isle of Man issued new coins into circulation for the first time in over one hundred years in 1971, the release coincided with the British Isles converting from the old £sd system to decimalization. Respectable quantities were produced for the introduction of the new 1/2p, 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, & 50p coins, all having mintages of 100k save for the 1/2p with a total mintage of 495k. These mintages coincided with the release of Britain's new decimal coinage, which circulated freely on Mann along with the Crown Dependencies own coins, and coins from Ireland.

In 1972, '73, & '74 samples totaling 1,000 coins of each denomination were prepared by Pobjoy Mint in hopes of securing orders for those years coins, but as a result of the number of coins produced in '71 and the mingling of coins from the UK and Ireland it was determined that sufficient quantities were in circulation and that no additional coins were needed. The samples from '72, '73, & '74 were held and subsequently released into circulation with large quantities of coins ordered in 1975.

When word got out that these coins had been released many individuals went in search for them and as a result many were saved, albeit survivors are estimated in the mid to low hundreds. These coins are generally available in low MS to AU condition and are not so hard to find as to make them truly scarce.

I recently acquired these three 5p examples, my second set of "three" 5p coins from '72-'74. Does anyone else have any IoM coins from these three years, any denomination? Post them here if you do.

Sorry, the pics aren't the greatest.

Onchan Internment Camp, located on the Isle of Man, considered the "best" camp for "enemy aliens" to be placed in, as there were several other camps located there. Onchan was one of the largest camps in terms of size and on the grounds were areas to plant gardens, keep fowl, play organized sports and to move around in general. Many of the internees were craftsmen but there was also a large contingent of "professionals", a group of academics and artists. An unofficial pole of the camp in 1940 listed 121 artists and literary workers, 113 scientists and teachers, 89 engineers, 68 lawyers, 38 physicians, 19 clergymen and 12 dentists amongst the internees. There were art exhibitions, lectures, and college classes given onsite, a newspaper (The Onchan Pioneer) was also published with some frequency. From June 1940 until July of 1941 the camp housed approximately 1,300 German and Austrian nationals, the camp was then reopened in September of 1941 to house Italian internees until its closure in November 1944. Three denominations of tokens circulated at the camp, 6p, 1p and the 1/2 penny.

Relatively tough to find intact, the 1991 RAOB £2 & £5 commemorative set with privy marks has an unknown, miniscule, mintage. In my experience the £5 coin is more common, often found alone in the commemorative case, the £2 coin being long removed. Perhaps someone could shed some light on why the £2 coins were removed, seemingly into circulation, with the £5 left intact.