Meet Tosha the Cat: He's Rarer than Kew, Bees and Salmon, too.

Find out why this commemorative £2 coin from the Isle of Man is worth ten times it's face value.

2011 Isle of Man Tosha £2 Coin

Background: The 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games

In September 2011, the fourth Commonwealth Youth Games were hosted on the Isle of Man. It was the first time than an Island nation had hosted the event and the Isle of Man had previously submitted a bid for the 2008 Games, but lost out to Pune in India.

The Games featured around 800 athletes aged 14-18, from 64 nations competing across 110 events in seven selected sports; Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Rugby Sevens and Swimming. England topped the medal table with a total of 77 podium finishes including 37 gold medals. The hosts also won a total of three medals at the Games.

Tosha the Cat: The Official Games Mascot

The Commemorative Coin

To commemorate this great sporting event, The Pobjoy Mint issued a new £2 coin which featured the official Games mascot, Tosha the Cat. The name ‘Tosha’, meaning ‘first’ in Manx Gaelic was fitting considering this was the first time the games were held on the island. 

The reverse design features the Tosha mascot alongside the official Games logo and the obverse features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

The 'Tosha' coin is extremely sought after amongst collectors. Most have heard of it but very few will have come across one and that's because as well as it's adorable design it is said to be extremely rare. In recent years it has gained further popularity when it emerged on Facebook coin groups, being crowned 'coin of the year' in 2018.

Like most Isle of Man coins, whilst the true mintage figures are not known it is considered to be one of the rarest coins ever, even outranking Kew Gardens in terms of value and scarcity, and would secure bragging rights for any coin collector.

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2011 Isle of Man Commonwealth Youth Games (Tosha the Cat) £2

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