The Isle of Man built a cottage industry around Olympic commemorative coinage throughout the 1990s, issuing silver proofs for nearly every discipline contested at both summer and winter Games. The 1998 series corresponded to the Nagano Winter Olympics, Japan's second time hosting the Winter Games and the first in which NHL players were permitted to compete for their national teams — a political concession that restructured the entire hockey tournament.
Pobjoy Mint struck this piece under license from the Manx Treasury, which retained broad authority to authorize commemorative programs independent of the Royal Mint.
The Isle of Man built a cottage industry around Olympic commemorative coinage throughout the 1990s, issuing silver proofs for nearly every discipline contested at both summer and winter Games. The 1998 series corresponded to the Nagano Winter Olympics, Japan's second time hosting the Winter Games and the first in which NHL players were permitted to compete for their national teams — a political concession that restructured the entire hockey tournament.
Pobjoy Mint struck this piece under license from the Manx Treasury, which retained broad authority to authorize commemorative programs independent of the Royal Mint.