FERNÃO MENDES PINTO - 500th Anniversary of the birth
All the coins depicted in the image were brought today, from the Portugal Bank treasury. Fernão Mendes Pinto left Lisbon in 1537 and embarked on an extraordinary voyage around the coast of Africa, India, Sumatra, Zion, Cambodia, China and Japan, a feat that personified the spirit of the portuguese explorers who set sail on adventures to expand the horizons of the world. His book "Peregrinação" (pilgrimage), published posthumously in 1614, is the story of this exceptional journey through the lands of the Orient, during which Fernão Mendes Pinto was a trader, a chronicler, a Jesuit, a pirate and an ambassador «thirteen times captured and seventeen sold», in a succession of prodigies, marvels and adventures that combined reality and fantasy, dazzling a sixteenth century Europe thirsty for tales and stories about far-flung peoples and places.
The inner part of the coin depicts a sailing ship floating on a sea formed by a series of wave-shaped references to Portugal, Lisbon, his book and some of the destinations of his travels, With the country designation “Portugal” centred beneath them. His name flanked by the dates “1511” and “2011” form a semicircle around the upper edge of the inner part.
Issuing volume: 500.000
Issued year - 2011, May
Hermenegildo Capelo and Roberto Ivens - European ExplorersDepicted in the image, one more coin that one good portuguese friend, Mr. Joaquim, gave me, last month, directly from the Bank of Portugal. The obverse of this original coin features the 2 famous portuguese explorers, Hermenegildo Capelo and Roberto Ivens, legend "Exploradores Europeus" and the Logotip from Europe serie. The Reverse shows one Africa tree, the facial value, National arms and date. In the last quarter of the 19th century, under the auspices of the Lisbon Geographical Society, Hermenegildo Capelo (1847-1917) and Roberto Ivens (1850-1898) embarked on two of the most notable expeditions in the history of humanity; first from Benguela to the lands of Laca, and then from Angola to Contracosta. Their intention was to explore the African interior, more specifically the territories lying between the provinces of Angola and Mozambique, showing that the Portuguese will to "bring new worlds to the World" did not dry up after the Voyages of Discovery.During these expeditions, Hermenegildo Capelo and Roberto Ivens performed geographical and cartographic surveys and collected meteorological data and many natural history specimens that contributed a lot to increasing scientific knowledge at the time.
Issued year - 2010, November
Bicentenary of Linhas de Torres defensive line
Only 120.000 of this 2,5 € coin have been issued. Once again, Alexandra Vieira, a work mate, gave me this coin, still in 2010. This issue celebrates the bicentenary of the Linhas de Torres defensive line. The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807 and then in 1808 turned on its ally, Spain. The war lasted until the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814. British and Portuguese forces secured Portugal - with last-line fortifications known as Linhas de Torres (the fortress line) - using it as a secure position from which to launch campaigns against the French army. Combined, the regular and irregular allied forces prevented Napoleon's marshals from subduing the rebellious provinces.
Issued year - 2011, January
2Oth Anniversary of the Foundation of the Visegrad Group
Due to our last swap, Noora, from Finland, also sent me these two fabulous and rare Finnish coins. The original design of the coin shows a stylised lion figure from the coat of arms of Finland on the left side and a set of numbers on the right side. Thanks, Noora.
