The amount of people who are starting to collect coins and in particular gold coins is on the increase, this is because not only is it a very interesting subject to collect but due to the increasing price of gold it also makes a great investment. There is a vast range of gold coins available to collect but I am going to concentrate on the coins from a particular place the “Isle of Man”. The Isle of Man is a self governing dependency which is located between England and Ireland and as the name suggests is an island. The Isle of Man is only about 342 square miles and has a population of approximately 90,000 and has its own currency which is based on the British currency and because of its independent tax laws has made the Isle of Man a place for off shore bank accounts which has become one of its main sources of income along with tourism.

The Isle of Man produces its own range of gold coins such as the Manx Angels or Manx Crowns these coins are available in various sizes and weights and were first produced in the 18^th century until the middle of the 19^th century. However during the 1970’s when the Krugerrand  became very popular the Isle of Man saw a market to start reproducing there own gold coins again. These coins range in purity from 9ct to 24 ct gold. They produce an Isle of Man gold sovereign which is very similar to the British sovereign and they also produce gold bullion coins such as the Manx coins. The I.O.M. gold sovereign is nearly exactly the same as the British one but instead of having George and the Dragon on the back it has a Norse warrior on horseback and is available in the same sizes as the British Sovereign and made from 22ct gold. They also produce a range of Gold coins in different denominations such as the Manx golden pound or two pound and five pound coins.

One of the most famous Isle of Man animals is the Manx cat and one of the most popular gold coins to collect is the Manx cat crowns which are made every year with a picture of a different cat on the reverse side these coins were first minted in 1988 and have become very collectible and the coins from the first 10 years can be quite hard to come across. There are some of these Coins available on eBay at the moment or you can search on the internet for coin dealers and sites which have various different Isle of Man Manx cat coin made from 24ct gold. They have also produced a wide variety of different commemorative coins of the Isle of Man with lots of different subjects such as the famous Isle of Mann TT races or subjects such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings sets.

The Isle of Man gold coins also produce a range called Isle of Man Angels these angel coins are made from 24ct gold and are released every year at Christmas time and depict one of the 12 days of Christmas theme. These coins are only released in limited numbers so have become highly collectible and sought after. The reverse side depicts St Michael killing the dragon but the privy mark is in relation to the 12 days of Christmas in 2009 this was the sixth day so had six geese are laying as a privy mark and limited to about 1,000 coins. Have a look on the internet for great bargains which can be picked up in Isle of Man gold coins they are nice to collect and will only increase in value making Isle of Man gold coins investments worthwhile. At the Moment the 1/10 oz Isle of Man Manx Cat coins are selling for approximately £110 on eBay.

Lots of countries now produce gold coins and the Isle of Man is no different, they produce Manx angels and Manx cat crowns. These gold coins are available in different sizes and weights. The Isle of Man produced its own coins from about 1700 to 1864, it then ceased production until 1970 when it recommenced coin production. A wide variety of coins are available and gold coins range from 9ct to 24ct. The best coins are the gold bullion coins which are the Manx angels and the Manx cat crowns. They also produce a gold sovereign which is the same as the British gold sovereign coins.

The Isle of Man Manx Angels were first issued for Edward IV in 1464 and continued to be issued until Charles I in 1642, on the reverse of the coin is the archangel Michael killing a dragon the modern version of the Angel is a copy of this design with the current queens head on the reverse of the gold coin. The coins are available in various sizes and weights from the largest which is a 25 ounce or 777.5 grams to a twenty fifth which weighs 0.0400 ounce or 1.2441 grams. The new Manx angels have been issued every year since 1985 to present day. The value of gold coins will depend on size, weight, year and whether it is a proof coin or not.

The Manx cat crowns are a copy of the original Isle of Man crowns which were produced for Henry VIII in 1544. The Manx cat crowns were first produced in 1988 and are available in the same sizes as the Manx Angels above. Each year the Manx cat crowns are produced with a different cat on the reverse. Although these gold coins are not old coins they are still very collectable and a lot of the early years ie 1988 to 1998 are not readily available to buy, so have become rare coins even though they are not old coins. To collect a set of Manx cat crowns from 1988 to present would make a nice collection to any cat lover and also a fine investment in unusual gold coins.

The Isle of Man gold Sovereign is very similar in design to the British gold sovereign coins. Instead of George and the Dragon on the reverse the Manx gold sovereign has a Norse warrior on horseback. You can also get a half gold sovereign. Unlike most countries the Isle of Man did produce gold sovereigns and half gold sovereigns in 1973. The Isle of Man also produces gold crowns with the following denominations Five pounds, two pounds, half sovereign and sovereign these are available in proof sets and make an excellent present and a great addition to any gold coin collection. In summary the Isle of Man gold coins are a great investment and make a great addition to any gold coin collection.