25 Ecu Isle of Man Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

Mint Year: 1994 Reference: KM-712. Denomination: 25 Ecu Mint Place: Popjoy mint (PM)  Material: Sterling Silver (.925) Weight: 19.15gm (each) Diameter: 38.5mm

European Currency Unit (₠ or ECU, French pronunciation: [eky]) was a basket of the currencies of the European Community member states, used as the unit of account of the European Community before being replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999, at parity. The ECU itself replaced the European Unit of Account, also at parity, on 13 March 1979. The European Exchange Rate Mechanism attempted to minimize fluctuations between member state currencies and   the ECU. The ECU was also used in some international financial   transactions, where its advantage was that securities denominated in   ECUs provided investors with the opportunity for foreign diversification   without reliance on the currency of a single country.

The ECU was conceived on 13 March 1979 as an internal accounting unit. It had the ISO 4217 currency code XEU.

The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin), sometimes referred to simply as Mann (/mæn/; Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪn]), is a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. Defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. Insurance and online gambling generate 17% of GNP each, followed by information and communications technology and banking with 9% each. The island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, and the Manx language, a branch of the Gaelic languages, emerged. In 627, Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the Kingdom of the Isles. Magnus III, King of Norway, was King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103. In 1266, the island became part of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth, after being ruled by Norway. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested into the British Crown in 1765, but the island never became part of the 18th-century Kingdom of Great Britain or its successors the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Irelandand the present-day United Kingdom. It retained its internal self-government.

For centuries, the island’s symbol has been the so-called “three legs of Mann” (Manx: Tree Cassyn Vannin), a triskelion of three legs conjoined at the thigh. The Manx triskelion, which dates back with certainty to the late 13th century, is of uncertain origin. It has been suggested that its origin lies in Sicily, an island which has been associated with the triskelion since ancient times.

The symbol appears in the island’s official flag and official coat of arms, as well as its currency. The Manx triskelion may be reflected in the island’s motto, Latin: Quocunque jeceris stabit, which appears as part of the island’s coat of arms. The Latin motto translates into English as “whichever way you throw, it will stand” or “whithersoever you throw it, it will stand”.  It dates to the late 17th century when it is known to have appeared on the island’s coinage.  It has also been suggested that the motto originally referred to the poor quality of coinage which was common at the time—as in “however it is tested it will pass”.