Isle of Man Gold Cat 1 Ounce 1998

The Birman cat is the cat of choice for the reverse design on the 1998 Isle of Man Gold Cat coin. The Birman looks like a chubby Siamese, having almost all of the same features. These features include bright blue eyes, a cream-colored body with a brown-masked face, a triangle-shaped face, and very pointed ears. They also have little mitten-like markings on each of their paws. The Birman is also known as "the sacred cat of Burma", symbolizing the importance of what the cat means to Burma tradition.

The Isle of Man is an island located in the Irish Sea. This island is a self-governing island since 1866. Great Britain helps the Isle of Man when there is an emergency or its state of affairs with other countries come into play. The Pobjoy Mint decided to have cats as a theme for the Isle of Man series because Man in Gaelic is Manx. The whole culture is referred to as the Manx culture and the Manx cat originated on the Isle of Man. Every year, the breed of cat, featured on the coins, is changed. Each coin is 24 karat gold, in brilliant uncirculated condition, and comes in a plastic flip for protection.

The reverse of the gold coin is of the Birman cat. The cat is standing in a poised position, with its furry tail so high, it's almost touching the rim of the coin. There is another cat standing behind the Birman, on the left-hand side. There are also a few seagulls flying above the Birman's head. The coin's weight, 1 oz, is written below the cat's dainty paws. On the obverse side, the famous side portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, drawn by the well-known sculptor/painter Ian-Rank Broadley, is displayed. The coin series, "Isle of Man", and the coin's mintage date, "1998", are both inscribed on the obverse as well.

• Denomination: N/A
• Year: 1998
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