Isle Of Man 1992 AA 10p Coins

Item Description

Isle Of Man, 1992 10p 'trial' coins with 'AA' die letters and no Pobjoy Mint mintmark (5). Obverses: Raphael Maklouf portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the date (1992) below with rounded tails to 9s, 'ISLE OF MAN' and 'ELIZABETH II' around with triskelion stops, no 'PM' below the portrait. Reverse: triskelion with '10' to the left, 'QUOCUNQUE' above and 'SECERIS STABIT' below. Tiny 'AA' mintmark on top of right-most foot. Mintage: circa 200. Presentation: sealed in a clear sleeve, one broken off but still sealed.

A series of minor details make these Isle of Man 10ps a star lot in our 23 April 2025 sale of Jewellery, Silver, Watches, and Coins.

Coins Of The Isle Of Man

The Isle of Man issues its own currency, the Manx Pound (£IMP), which is pegged to the British Pound but features unique designs celebrating the island's heritage, history, and culture. Common imagery includes Viking motifs and the triskelion or triskeles, a triple spiral, often represented as three human legs.

Manx coins are popular among collectors and can occasionally be found in circulation in the UK since the denominations are the same, and their appearance is similar at first glance.

Between 1971 and 2016, the Isle of Man's coinage was produced by the Pobjoy Mint, a private mint based in Surrey that is now defunct. Since 2017, Manx coins have been made by the Tower Mint.

Pre-Production Trial Coins

In 1992, the Isle of Man 10p coin was modified, changing the design and reducing the size and weight in line with their UK counterparts. These 'new' 10ps measured 24.50 millimetres in diameter.

The change in size required updating vending machines, slot machines, and other cash systems and necessitated the striking of so-called trial pieces or pre-production coins for calibration purposes.

That's how these coins were originally acquired by their original owner, who shared that:

'I made the original request to the Isle of Man Treasury for samples of the new decimal 10 pence coins in order to set the coin mechanisms and pay out hoppers of our machines. They subsequently passed on the request to The Pobjoy Mint kindly supplied a batch.'

The AA 1992 Isle Of Man 10p

These pre-production coins differ in appearance from their standard circulating counterparts in three key ways:

(1) The numerals of the date (1992) are spaced wider, with the '9's showing a more rounded tail when compared to the pointy tails on standard issues

(2) A missing 'PM' mintmark, usually found below Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse of these coins

(3) A tiny 'AA' die mark, located on the inverted foot of the triskeles on the right-hand side of the reverse design

The 'PM' mintmark is a permanent presence on Isle of Man coins made by the Pobjoy Mint, so its absence here is notable.

The die mark is also a distinctive feature of Manx coins and has been used since 1978 to identify the die from which the coin was struck. These die marks usually take the form of HIberno-Norse-style characters, running 'AA', 'AB', 'AC', and so forth.

The 'AA' die mark can be found on standard, circulating 1992 Manx 10ps, but its presence, along with the missing 'PM' and the rounded date numbers, is indicative of a very rare coin.

How Many AA No-PM 1992 10ps Were Struck?

Reportedly, only 200 of these no-PM 1992 Isle of Man 10p coins were ever issued.

We understand that The Pobjoy Mint requested the return of these 10p coins, though some were clearly retained in a stroke of good luck for collectors.

Pre-production coins of this type have come to the market very rarely, with their last appearance at auction being in a July 2021 sale.

These pieces remain sealed in the bubble pack in which they were issued, meaning that they are presented in pristine, uncirculated condition.

Sell Rare Modern Coins At Auction

RWB Auctions specialises in selling rare modern coins like these Isle of Man Ten Pence pieces.

Our recent sales have achieved record prices for a 1981 Experimental 25p Coin, a Lord Kitchener Error £2, and a New Pence 2p Set, as well as national press attention.

If you have a rare coin to sell and are looking to achieve a high hammer price, we strongly encourage you to contact our team at coins@rwbauctions.com.

References

Richard Winterton Auctioneers. 'Mysterious Mint 1992 Pre-production Isle of Man 10p Coins up for Auction Online From Lichfield.' 22 July 2021. 

Southall, M J. Coins Of The Isle Of Man. Lily Publications, 2020.