Coin of the Week: 1979 Isle of Man 10 Pence

Obverse (Image: Queen Elizabeth II)

Reverse (Image: Triskelion)

The Isle of Man (also known as Mann) is a British Crown Dependency located between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. As an independent state, the Isle of Man has its own taxes, coins, stamps and parliament. The English monarchy does not rule the island as king or queen, but rather as "Lord of Man". More about this very interesting island and its history can be read here.

Isle of Man currency is equivalent to the British Pound sterling. As a possession of the British Crown, the obverse of each coin depicts an image of Queen Elizabeth II. The 10 Pence coin has the national emblem, the triskelion, on the reverse. The triskelion is also known as "The Three Legs of Man" and was first used by King Alexander III of Scotland (one of the "Kings of Man") in his coat of arms. The symbol is believed to have come from a similar Sicilian symbol. More about various triskelions can be read here.

I'd like to conclude on a personal note. I really enjoy researching and posting the history of the countries and images on my coins. If anyone would like to send me pictures of coins they have, I'd be happy to do a post about them as well! Just send me a comment below, and we can take the conversation "off line".

 

Coin of the Week: 1982 Irish 50 Pence

Obverse (Image: Harp)

Reverse (Image: Woodcock)

Before introducing the Euro in 2002, Ireland's currency was the Irish pound, with 100 pence equaling 1 pound (after Ireland decimalized its currency in 1971). All coins featured the Irish harp on the obverse, along with Eire (the Irish word for Ireland) and the mint date. The harp is believed to be that of Brian Boru, the most powerful king of Ireland during the Early Middle Ages.

The 50 pence piece is unique in that it is a seven-sided coin. The seven sides, however, are not straight but actually curved, making the coin easy to roll. The image on the reverse is the woodcock. Despite being a small bird, the woodcock was an important game bird in Ireland. It occasionally was part of a meal for the poorest agricultural laborers as well.

I found this site on Irish coins for anyone interested. It hasn't been updated since September 2010 but still has some very good information. Enjoy!

Coin of the Week: 1986 Portugal 20 Escudos

Obverse (Image: Portuguese Coat-of-Arms)

Reverse (Image: Nautical wind-rose)

Before introducing the Euro in 2002, Portugal's currency was the escudo, with 100 centavos equaling 1 escudo. The escudo had been in use since 1910, when the Portuguese monarchy was abolished and a republic was established.

The 20 escudos coin depicts the Portuguese coat-of-arms on the obverse. The coat-of-arms was adopted in 1911 and is based on the coat-of-arms used by the Portuguese Kingdom in the middle ages. The border consists of 7 castles, representing the Moorish castles conquered by the Portuguese Kingdom during the Reconquista. In the middle, the coat-of-arms has 5 escutcheons (or shields), forming the shape of a cross. Due to the numerous changes to the coat-of-arms over the centuries, there is no official explanation why 5 escutcheons are depicted (there had been as many as 11). Some scholars interpret them as the five wounds of Jesus Christ.

Since Portugal was once a powerful seafaring nation, the reverse of the 20 escudos coin shows a nautical wind-rose, or wind-star. The wind-rose was used as a compass by ancient seafarers before the magnetic needle compass was introduced. The 16 points represented the major winds that blew around the Mediterranean Sea. North was depicted by a fleur de lis, and east was shown as a Christian cross, indicating the direction of Jerusalem from Europe.

Updates to the Blog

Some of you may have noticed that I added some links and a page to the blog:

World Coin Gallery

This is a link to a site that I use occasionally to view pictures of coins. There are over 40,000 coin pictures available.

My Music Videos

I've listed on this page the instruments and equipment I use to record songs and make videos. The most fascinating part for me is the Ibach piano. RUD. IBACH SOHN GmbH & Co. KG, located in Germany, was the oldest piano manufacturer in the world. Founded in 1794, the family-owned business had to close in December 2007 due to low-cost competition.

MusicVille

MusicVille is being developed to create a new way for music businesses, bands, customers and fans to connect. The initial functionality will allow connections using QR Codes.

MusicVille Blog

The MusicVille blog was started to explain how MusicVille was born and provide updates on this start-up.

Coin of the Week: 1979 San Marino 10 Lire

Obverse (Image: Sammarinese coat-of-arms)

Reverse (Image: Crypt of Saint Marinus)

San Marino, the oldest republic in the world, covers an area of about 24 square miles, has an estimated population of a little more than 30,000 and is completely surrounded by Italy. From the 1860s until 2002, San Marino's currency was the lira, equivalent to the Italian lira. Since 2002, San Marino has the Euro, although it is not a member of the European Union.

The 10-lire coin has a depiction of the Sammarinese coat-of-arms on the obverse and one of the crypt of Saint Marinus, the founder of San Marino, on the reverse. The coat-of-arms consists of a shield with three towers on three peaks. The shield is flanked by a wreath, and a crown is on top. A scroll with the word "Libertas" (liberty) completes the coat-of-arms.

According to tradition, Saint Marinus escaped to Italy to avoid anti-Christian persecution. He then built a small church on Monte Titano (Mount Titan), the highest peak in what is now Saint Marino. The city state was officially founded on September 3rd in the year 301.