While most people believe that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, we now know that the Vikings and Leif Eriksson reached the shores of North America 500 years before Columbus. Leif was probably born in Iceland about 970-980 but as a child he moved with his parents to Greenland. It was a tradition that young Viking men make a voyage back to Norway, the land of their ancestors. Leif traveled to Norway in 999 and stayed with King Olav Trygvasson. As one story goes, as Leif was sailing back to Greenland he was driven off course and accidentally found new lands. In one place there were fields of wild wheat and grapevines. For many years archaeologists had looked for Viking evidence in America but none had been found until 1961 when at the northern tip of Newfoundland, at a place called “L’Anse aux Meadows” evidence of buildings, jewelry, tools, slag iron, and coal were found confirming the presence of the Vikings! This beautiful silver coin was issued by authority of the government of the Isle of Man and has a legal tender value of 1 Crown. Minted in 1996, it is part of the Explorers series and features the bust of Leif Eiriksson. This coin comes in a mint issued display case with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) was a Portuguese explorer who discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East. He sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, heading to the East. At the time, many people thought that his trip would be impossible because it was assumed that the Indian Ocean was not connected to any other seas. Da Gama rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and continued on to India, arriving in India on May 20, 1498. This beautiful silver coin was issued by authority of the government of the Isle of Man and has a legal tender value of 1 Crown. Minted in 1998, it is part of the Explorer series and features the bust of Vasco da Gama, an African map, and a ship, on the reverse. This coin comes in a mint issued display case with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c.1540 – January 28, 1596) was an English privateer, navigator, naval pioneer, raider, politician, and civil engineer of the Elizabethan period. He was the first captain to completely circumnavigate the globe. He was also second in command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He died of dysentery while unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1596. This beautiful silver coin was issued by authority of the government of the Isle of Man and has a legal tender value of One Crown. Minted in 1996, it is part of the Explorers series and features the bust of Sir Francis Drake. This coin comes in a mint issued display case with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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