Description

The first official Manx coins were cast, that is made in moulds, and were dated 1709. They consisted of pennies and halfpennies showing the crest of James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby and Lord of Mann, on one side and the three legs of Mann on the other. These rather crude coins actually became legal tender in the Isle of Man on 24th June 1710.

However, token coins specific to the Isle of Man can be traced back to 1668 when a Douglas merchant named John Murrey issued a small penny struck in brass. English silver and gold coins were also circulating in the Island, together with many other different coins and tokens such as Irish ‘Butchers’ brass’ and St. Patrick tokens. The 1679 Act of Tynwald prohibited the circulation of all spurious coins and tokens, except for Murrey’s pence, thus making this coinage semi-official.