Isle of Man ½ sovereign 1978 - Viking warrior

The coin's story

Two years after decimalisation, the Isle of Man launched its own series of gold sovereigns in 1973, struck by the Pobjoy Mint, a private mint in Surrey founded in 1965 by Derek Pobjoy. These coins follow the standard of the British sovereign: 22-carat gold (0.917), or about 3.65 g of fine gold for the half sovereign. They were not intended to circulate but were sold to collectors, in normal and proof quality. The reverse shows an armoured warrior on horseback, with the three-legged shield, the Manx triskelion, recalling the island's Viking past. After the 13,539 pieces of 1973, mintages fell quickly: in 1978 only 1,250 half sovereigns were struck, one of the smallest mintages of the series. The type remained in production until 1983, from 1984, the Pobjoy Mint struck another gold coin for the island, the angel. The Pobjoy Mint worked for the Isle of Man until 2016 and closed its doors in 2023.