IOM - Meridian Line Millennium Crown

April 2024

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This issue from the Isle of Man (between England and Ireland) commemorates the Millennium and the MERIDIAN Line that is basis of Greenwich Mean Time and the time and date system of the world. The Old Royal Observatory at Greenwich established a standardized system for time in only 1884. Before that almost every town in the world kept it's own time. With the expansion of communications (telegraph) and railways the need for a standardized system became imperative. The physical brass meridian line served until 1998. In preparation for the Millennium change an electronic one over the exact same place was established. The brass line was removed from the Royal Observatory and the metal used as the central line on this coin which is part of the official Greenwich Meridian logo of GM 2000! A full history of the Meridian, established at longitude 0.0, came printed with the boxed coin. These were struck by the Pobjoy mint which also struck the first Titanium coin for the Millennium issued of Gibraltar (also in this Museum). Another first is the 'latent image' (1999 > 2000) 25 Rupees issued by Seychelles. This visual effect on a Millennium coin can also be seen on a issue of Poland, an example of which can also be seen here in the Museum.