Great coin and sadly the Pobjoy mint is no more. Your coin was Pobjoy Mint's equivalent of the Britannia. They were a hugely innovative company who won a coin of the year award for a coin celebrating the first postage stamp and they introduced the first platinum bullion coin. @lordmarcovan had a couple of Pobjoy mint coins in his recent giveaways. The Isle of Man is famous for a breed of tailless cats and Pobjoy issued a cat coin annually. At one time Pobjoy were the Royal Mint's biggest UK competitor. Nice find!
Anybody who wants these may enter the current Giveaway #142 (or any subsequent one of my "pick your prize" giveaways, if nobody wins this lot in the present giveaway). Giveaway Lot #260119-03 (LOT: 3 coins) Three Virenium coins from the Isle of Man, Uncirculated and Proof, 1979-1981 (My photos of this three-coin lot are less than ideal, but they'll have to do.) All of these Isle of Man coins bear the image of the ancient three-legged triskelion symbol, superimposed over a map of the island. Coin #1 of 3: Isle of Man 1979-PM Virenium 1-pound, Pobjoy Mint (Uncirculated version, First Day issue) Larger obverse image - Larger reverse image - Image of certificate Numista-6873. This coin and the others were struck in Virenium, an alloy patented by the Pobjoy Mint in the United Kingdom. Virenium is intended to have the look and stability of a precious metal, and in fact these coins (especially the proof below) do look like gold at a glance. And the two one-pound pieces here seem to have stood the test of time over nearly 50 years without toning. This coin was released on the first day of issue, and comes with the original Pobjoy Mint certificate indicating such. Coin #2 of 3: Isle of Man 1979-PM Virenium 1-pound, Pobjoy Mint (Proof version) Larger obverse image - Larger reverse image - Image of certificate Numista-6873. This is the proof version of the type above. It is very flashy and beautiful, and looking at the queen's portrait at a glance, you could mistake it for a proof gold Sovereign. Really quite an attractive coin. Coin #3 of 3: Isle of Man 1981-PM Virenium 5-pounds Larger obverse image - Larger reverse image Numista-29261. This larger (36 mm) five-pound piece is also struck in Virenium, though it has a very slightly different appearance than the pair of one-pound pieces above. Unlike those, this one did not come with any mint packaging, so perhaps that is why. It seems to have picked up a bit of toning, which I find attractive. It is also quite flashy. I do not know if this was a Proof or Uncirculated striking, but I suspect the latter. Nevertheless, it is rather prooflike. All three pieces donated by "Dafydd", CoinTalk, 15 January 2026.
