Isle of Man ½ penny 1979 - Herring

The coin's story

In 1976, the Isle of Man replaced the designs of its first decimal series with a new series in which each reverse shows the map of the island with a local subject. On the ½ penny, the smallest coin of the series, Barry Stanton engraved an Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). This fish long supported the island's ports, notably Peel, famous for its kippers, split and smoked herrings. Coins of this type were struck by the Pobjoy Mint from 1976 to 1979, with Arnold Machin's portrait of Elizabeth II on the obverse. From 1978, the PM mark also appears on the reverse, at the bottom of the map. In 1979, the last year, the reverse also received a small triskelion and die letters (AA or AB for this denomination), which identify the striking dies.