The Isle of Man has its own circulating coinage, which is used in parallel with the British Pound Sterling; it also issues an extensive range of commemorative coins for collectors, as well as bullion coins in a variety of formats and designs for investors in precious metals.
One of the sizes used is the very large five ounces of silver format, abbreviated as 5oz Ag, where Ag comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum. The coins are considered Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) because they are "premium" editions released at prices much higher than their bullion value.
This coin is part of the long-running Angel premium bullion series. The mint says about it: "Celebrating over 40 years since its first release the 2025 Angel Silver and Gold Coin Collection features the original design of the Angel Michael facing left which first featured on the Isle of Man Angel coins in 1984. This classical depiction of the triumph of good over evil which gave the Angel coin its name almost 600 years ago continues today to delight collectors and investors across the world.
2025 Angels carry with them some of the lowest edition limits in the Isle of Man Angel’s history. Minted exclusively by the Tower Mint in London on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, this much loved modern classic coin continues its legacy as one of the world’s most loved gold and silver coin collections."
It is usually said that modern Angels are legal tender but without a fixed face value, like the Krugerrand or Mexico’s Libertad which are legal tender to the value of their precious metal content. However, according to the various Currency Determinations by The Treasury of the Isle of Man authorising each issue, the "Angel" denomination has a fixed value - for example, the 2010 Determination sets it as £10, while the 2017 and later acts make it equal to 5 pounds in face value, with fractions or multiples divided or multiplied as required by the fraction or multiplier shown on the reverse of the coin. Hence, this coin - denominated as 5 Angels - has a nominal face value of £25 (twenty-five pounds). |