The Isle of Man has long exploited its status as a Crown Dependency — outside the UK but under the Crown — to issue commemorative coinage with unusual freedom, frequently licensing designs and themes that Royal Mint protocol would never permit. This 2022 jubilee piece marks Elizabeth II's 70th year on the throne, the longest reign in British history, surpassing Queen Victoria's 63 years in September 2015.
The selective gold plating technique applied here targets specific design elements while leaving others in silver — a finishing method that became fashionable in collector coinage from the 1990s onward and has no precedent in circulating issues.
The Isle of Man has long exploited its status as a Crown Dependency — outside the UK but under the Crown — to issue commemorative coinage with unusual freedom, frequently licensing designs and themes that Royal Mint protocol would never permit. This 2022 jubilee piece marks Elizabeth II's 70th year on the throne, the longest reign in British history, surpassing Queen Victoria's 63 years in September 2015.
The selective gold plating technique applied here targets specific design elements while leaving others in silver — a finishing method that became fashionable in collector coinage from the 1990s onward and has no precedent in circulating issues.