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5 New Pence - Elizabeth II Tower of Refuge, Silver
| Issuer | Isle of Man |
|---|---|
| Year | 1975 |
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| Currency | Pound (decimalized, 1971-date) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing truncated effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, as modelled by Arnold Machin. The sovereign's portrait is rendered in high relief with fine detail on the diadem and hair. The legend arcs around the upper periphery of the field, with the date placed below the bust truncation. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
The Tower of Refuge, built in 1832 on a reef in Douglas Bay after Sir William Hillary witnessed repeated shipwrecks there, gave the Isle of Man a local subject distinct from the standard British coinage it otherwise mirrored. The 1975 Manx decimal series was among the first to assert that distinctiveness through commemorative-quality metal strikes — the silver variant of this circulating type was issued for collectors while the cupro-nickel version entered everyday use.
Hillary was also the founder of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, which became the RNLI. The Tower itself still stands on Conister Rock.