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.
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.