5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Triskelion on map

Virenium — a proprietary copper-zinc-nickel alloy developed by the Birmingham Mint — was introduced partly as an anti-counterfeiting measure and partly because it could be struck with a surface quality closer to silver than standard cupro-nickel allowed. The Isle of Man adopted it for this series at a moment when the island was expanding its coinage program aggressively, issuing far more types per year than any comparably sized jurisdiction in the British Isles.

The Schön split between 39.1 and 39.2 reflects a mintmark distinction introduced mid-series by the Birmingham Mint.