1/2 Crown - Elizabeth II Birman Cat

The Isle of Man's cat coinage series, running from 1988 onward under Pobjoy Mint, was one of the more commercially calculated bullion programs of the late twentieth century — new breeds introduced annually to sustain collector demand. The Birman appeared in the 1998 issue, a year in which Pobjoy also experimented with fractional gold formats across several of their crown dependencies contracts.

At 15.55 g of .9999 fine gold, this is a half-ounce piece in all but name — the "half crown" denomination purely ceremonial under Manx authority.