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HARRY POTTER COLLECTIBLES: ISLE OF MAN COINS

Any fans of wizards now knows about gold galleons or silver sickles, but now they can also buy real money with Harry Potter's likeness on them -- and spend them if they visit the Isle of Man.

This tiny island is part of the United Kingdom and is between the two British isles. Though under UK rule, it has its own parliament, the Tynwald. This island is very small -- it is 33 miles long and 13 miles wide.

Pobjoy Mint Ltd., of Kingswood, Surrey County, England, bills itself as Europe's private coin issuing agency. It has produced gold, silver and cupro coins.(Cupro, short for cupronickel, is a metal alloy, usually 60 percent copper and 40 percent nickel.) They have the Harry Potter title and a relief image of Harry trying out his wand on the back, and Queen Elizabeth II's portrait on the front. The Harry picture is based on the artwork of Fred Bode, Warner Bros. artist and chief character designer for the movie. The queen gave permisson for her likeness to appear on the coins, which also makes them real money, but only on the Isle of Man and with merchants on the British mainland, who choose to accept them.

These coins were so hot that when 25,000 were released on 5 September 2001, they sold out in five hours. Taya Pobjoy, managing director of the mint that bears her name, said she got the idea for the coins after reading about Harry going to Gringotts Bank and withdrawing his money.

The silver and cupronickel coins are worth 1 crown, equal to 25 pence (about 36 U.S. cents) and are larger than the average UK 50-pence coin. Their prices are £9.95 ($14.50) for cupronickel and £39.95 ($58) both for the silver and gold coins. A coin comes packaged in the holder below, which uses the common packaging design for Harry Potter products -- a red and blue diamond pattern, Harry in Quidditch form, Hedwig and a castle archway.

Harry Potter coin packaging

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