Brief Description |
This half penny token comes from the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.
Tokens like this one were issued due to the lack of small change on the isle at various times. Designed by Thomas Halliday, it was struck by Sir Edward Thomason at Birmingham and issued by William Callister (1808-1872), a timber importer of Ramsey, a town on the Isle of Man.
On the obverse is: "HALF PENNY TOKEN" with "PRO BONO PUBLICO" (for the public good) around the rim. On the reverse is a triskelion, or a three legged figure, the symbol of the isle. "QUOCUNQUE IECERIS STABIT" in relief around the rim means "wherever it's thrown, it stands", and is the motto of the isle.
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