Isle of Man - £10 nd2012 and £20 nd2002 s. Peter Mark Shimmin (No Limited and De La Rue)

Isle of Man

Isle of Man Bank Limited

Currency : Manx Pound (IMP)

Here are the two notes both bearing the signature of Peter Mark Shimmin. Peter Mark Shimmin was the Chief Financial Office of the Isle of Man Bank Limited between 17.08.2001 to 10.04.2013. The banknotes in the Isle of Man are issued by the Isle of Man Bank Limited, a company owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland group.

Since Peter Shimmin appointed to the role, the Isle of Man Bank Limited had issued 5 banknotes with his signature on it. However all these notes issued were printed with slight variations with the bank's name and also the imprinter name on the back of the notes. Here I have detail the 4 difference varieties;-

£10 (nd2002) - printed with the Bank's name but without the word "Limited" and the imprinter name in full; Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited;

£20 (nd2002) & £10 (nd2012) - printed without the Bank's name "Limited" and the imprinter name is printed just with "De La Rue" [see below];

£1 (nd2009) - printed bank's name with "Limited" and imprinter "Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited";

£20 (nd2013) - Bank's name with the word "Limited" and the imprinter's name "De La Rue".

It is not sure if other varieties are also issued.

Below are the two notes both printed without the word "Limited" and the imprinter's name just "De La Rue".

Signature - Peter Mark Shimmin

Ten Pounds (142mm x 75mm)

nd2012, Lord Mann Queen Elizabeth the Second, map of Isle of Man, triskelion (3 legs emblem)

Reverse - Peel castle in St Patrick's Isle (built in the 11th century by the Vikings)

Twenty Pounds (149mm x 80mm)

nd2002, Lord Mann Queen Elizabeth the Second, map of Isle of Man, triskelion (3 legs emblem)

Reverse - people gathered around Laxey wheel (Lady Lsabella) in 1854 in Laxey village, imprinter De La Rue

Footnote
Until 1961, banknotes of Isle of Man were issued by various institutions, including the Isle of Man Banking Company Limited (later in 1926 - Isle of Man Bank Ltd). Lloyds Bank, Manx Bank, Martins Bank, Westminster Bank, Parr's Bank etc. On the 31.07.1961, the Isle of Man Government revoked all note issue licences of all commercial banks in Isle of Man and appointed Isle of Man Bank Limited to manage all banknotes circulating on the island. Since then, all banknotes issued are printed with the Isle of Man Government on the notes. The reason for appointing the Isle of Man Bank was due to it's long standing association in issuing banknotes in the Isle of Man since 1865.

The Isle of Man Banking Co Limited was founded by Samuel Harris, Henry Noble, William Moore and William Callister in 1865. In 1926, the bank changed it's name to the Isle of Man Bank Limited.

The bank was then acquired by National Provincial Bank in 1961 and became a subsidiary of National Westminster Bank upon the merger of its parent with Westminster Bank in 1968. In 2000, the Isle of Man Bank became part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group when they acquired the Westminster Bank group.

The main designs of the Manx pounds have changed very little (except the portrait of the Queens, colours, size and signatures) since the 1960s. The current £50 was first issued in 1983 and was printed without a letter prefix. This is the first and only £50 ever issued in the Isle of Man and judging by the serial number, it is unlikely that more than a million pieces were printed. The Isle of Man has a rather small population (about 83,000+). Apart from the Manx pounds, other British pounds sterling currencies, like those issued by the Bank of England, all three Scottish banks and those in Northern Ireland are also acceptable on the island and this could be the reason as to why not many Manx pounds have been issued.