Money Monday - Queen Victoria Copper Halfpenny (1839)

Obverse: VICTORIA DEI GRATIA [Victoria by the grace of God]

Reverse: QVOCVNQVE IECERIS STABIT [wherever you throw, it will stand]

This coin represents the last coinage issued by the Isle of Man under its own authority, which was superseded by British Imperial coinage from 1840.

If you’re confused about how the United Kingdom works in relation to its crown dependencies, the geographic British Isles, Overseas Territories etc. then the Isle of Man will not make things any easier for you. The Isle, situated in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the English Northwest has been a Crown Dependency since 1765, but for over a thousand years before that it has been variously independent, semi-independent, subjugated and invaded by the English, the Scottish and the Vikings. The ethnic people of the Isle are known as the Manx, a primarily Celtic group with strong Norse and English influences.

The change in coinage was brought about by an Act of Tynwald, which is the parliament of the Isle of Man. It is often referred to as the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world and is made up of two chambers: the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council. The origin of the ‘Keys’ bit is under debate – it may refer to the House as the ‘keys’ to the law, be a corruption of the Norse verb kjósa (to choose), or be a corruption of the Manx word for ‘four and twenty’ (kiare as feed). The House has always had 24 members, and is called Y Chiare as Feed in Manx today.

The three-legged design on the reverse of this coin is the island’s own symbol. Known as the Three Legs of Man, it is formally called a triskelion and is also associated with Sicily. The inscription on the coin is also the Island’s motto: ‘Whichever way you throw, it will stand.’

Coins featured in Money Monday are a part of the University of Reading’s Stenton Coin Collection. For more information or to view the collection, please contact us: specialcollections@reading.ac.uk

