Since the release of the first coin in 1988, the Isle of Man Manx Cat series has become one of the most popular gold bullion series in the world. Each coin has depicted a cat or kitten and 2010 sees the issue of another wonderful coin, this time depicting an image of an Abyssinian cat and her kitten.

Today’s pedigree Abyssinian looks like the sacred cats that are depicted in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. The name Abyssinian comes from the country to the south-east of Egypt that is known as Ethiopia today. The Abyssinian is a medium-sized, lithe and muscular cat with an arching elegant neck and distinctive large ears. The original Abyssinian cat has a ruddy coloured short-haired coat, with a rich golden brown base ticked with black although you can get fawn, blue, lilac and silver coloured breeds. The ticked coat is one of the breed’s distinguishable features. Abyssinian Cats are inquisitive, playful creatures by nature, often energetic and enjoy hunting.

The design on the coin depicts an Abyssinian cat in an alert pose with her kitten lying underneath her. Approved by Buckingham Palace, the obverse bears a fine effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS.

This is a cupro-nickel coin