1/25 Crown - Elizabeth II Persian Cat

The Isle of Man's annual cat coinage program, launched in 1988 under the Pobjoy Mint, was one of the first bullion series to systematically exploit fractional gold denominations for collector appeal rather than pure bullion utility. The 1/25 Crown format was designed specifically to bring gold ownership within reach of casual buyers — a deliberate commercial calculation that proved correct, generating strong export demand particularly in Japan and the United States through the late 1980s.

The Persian was among the most requested breeds in early subscriber polling, which directly influenced Pobjoy's selection roster for the second year of the series.