Isle of Man 50 pence 1980 - Christmas, Mail Coach

The coin's story

From 1980, the Isle of Man issued each year a 50 pence coin devoted to Christmas, struck by the Pobjoy Mint. This first subject shows a winter scene: a mail coach drawn by four horses, greeted by passers-by, with sailing ships and a steamer on the sea in the background. At the bottom of the scene, children play in the snow near a snowman, and a sprig of mistletoe tops the word CHRISTMAS. The obverse bears the bust of Elizabeth II after Arnold Machin, with the PM mark of the Pobjoy Mint. The 1980 coins bear die letters, from AA to AF for the circulation strike, and a proof version was sold in a Christmas card. A rare variety, known as a “mule”, combines this reverse with the obverse of another 1980 50 pence coin.