1 Crown - Elizabeth II Ballpoint Pen

The Isle of Man's Treasury has long operated with unusual freedom to authorize novelty commemoratives, and the mid-1990s produced some of its most idiosyncratic output. This crown marks the centenary of the ballpoint pen, credited to László Bíró, whose 1938 Hungarian patent preceded a wartime British government contract — the RAF needed a pen that wouldn't leak at altitude.

Bíró never profited significantly from the invention he effectively gave away.