Spain: New denomination €40 silver coin marks 500th anniversary of first circumnavigation of the world

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The FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda has released (12th December) new silver and colour commemorative coins marking the quincentenary anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world in 1522. The event is being commemorated with Spain’s first coin, which includes a denomination of 40-euro. The coins are issued as part of the annual programme of commemorative coins released at their face value.

Under the command of the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521), the Carrack Nao Victoria was the first ship to circumnavigate the world successfully. The expedition began in August 1519 from the Port of Seville. It was to sail west for the Moluccas in present-day Indonesia via the Cape Horn or, as it was known, the Straits of Magellan between South America and Antarctica. The return voyage to Spain would be via the Cape of Good Hope on the coast of South Africa. The expedition consisted of five ships in total, the Nao Victoria and its crew of 42, accompanied by the Trinidad with a crew of 55, the San Antonio with a crew of 60, the Concepcion crew of 45, and the Santiago with a crew of 32.

The design on the reverse, which includes colour, depicts a world map by the Italian cartographer Battista Agnese and an image from the collections of the National Library of Spain of the Nao Victoria, which has been superimposed over the map. Above the primary design along the edge is the text V CENTENARIO VUELTA AL MUNDO (“Fifth Century Around the World”). Below the commemorative text is the value of 40 EURO and to the left of the numeral 40 is the mintmark of the Real Casa, a crowned M. Separating the denomination is a circular security application containing a quadruple latent image of a ship, the mint mark, a five-pointed star, and the numeral 22. The obverse side includes conjoined effigies of HM King Felipe VI and HM Queen Letizia facing to the left. The legend FELIPE VI Y LETIZIA is placed above their likenesses, and the year 2022 is placed underneath.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage Limit
40 euro	.925 Silver	18 g	33 mm	Brilliant Unc.	5,000
40 euro	.925 Silver	18 g	33 mm	Uncirculated	100,000

A limited edition of 5,000 Brilliant Uncirculated strikes is available in a numbered presentation blister-pak folder. The Uncirculated coin strikes are packaged in a transparent, heat-sealed cellophane wrapper. For additional information, please click here.

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