Colonial Acres Coins
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Portugal 1898 400th Ann. Discovery of India 200 Reis Brilliant Uncirculated (MS63)
Portugal 1898 400th Ann. Discovery of India 200 Reis Brilliant Uncirculated (MS63)
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Portugal 1898 400th Anniversary of the Discovery of India 200 Reis Brilliant Uncirculated (MS63)
The Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India was one of the most important achievements of the Age of Exploration. Throughout the fifteenth century, Portuguese navigators, encouraged by figures such as Henry the Navigator, explored the west coast of Africa in search of a direct maritime route to the lucrative spice markets of Asia. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to round the southern tip of Africa, proving that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were connected. He named the cape the Cape of Storms, although it was later renamed the Cape of Good Hope to reflect the promise of reaching the East.
The breakthrough came in 1497–1498 when Vasco da Gama led an expedition around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean, and arrived at the Indian port of Calicut in May 1498. This voyage established the first direct sea route between Europe and India, allowing Portugal to bypass traditional overland trade networks controlled by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean merchants. The discovery transformed global commerce, helped establish the Portuguese maritime empire, and marked the beginning of European dominance in the Indian Ocean. Over the following decades, Portugal established trading posts and fortresses throughout Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, creating one of the world's first global trading networks.
Obverse: The busts of Carlos I and Amélie facing left, with the legend around.
Reverse: Cross of the order of Christ with rosettes in the angles, surrounded by the commemorative legend and double dates 1498-1898 all within a beaded circle, with the legend around, and the denomination below.
Specifications:
Monarch: Carlos I (1889-1908)
Engraver: Venancio Alves
Composition: 0.917 Silver
Weight: 5 g
Diameter: 24 mm
Edge: Reeded
Die Axis: ↑↓
Mint: Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda, Lisbon, Portugal
Mintage: 250,000
The Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India was one of the most important achievements of the Age of Exploration. Throughout the fifteenth century, Portuguese navigators, encouraged by figures such as Henry the Navigator, explored the west coast of Africa in search of a direct maritime route to the lucrative spice markets of Asia. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to round the southern tip of Africa, proving that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were connected. He named the cape the Cape of Storms, although it was later renamed the Cape of Good Hope to reflect the promise of reaching the East.
The breakthrough came in 1497–1498 when Vasco da Gama led an expedition around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean, and arrived at the Indian port of Calicut in May 1498. This voyage established the first direct sea route between Europe and India, allowing Portugal to bypass traditional overland trade networks controlled by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean merchants. The discovery transformed global commerce, helped establish the Portuguese maritime empire, and marked the beginning of European dominance in the Indian Ocean. Over the following decades, Portugal established trading posts and fortresses throughout Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, creating one of the world's first global trading networks.
Obverse: The busts of Carlos I and Amélie facing left, with the legend around.
Reverse: Cross of the order of Christ with rosettes in the angles, surrounded by the commemorative legend and double dates 1498-1898 all within a beaded circle, with the legend around, and the denomination below.
Specifications:
Monarch: Carlos I (1889-1908)
Engraver: Venancio Alves
Composition: 0.917 Silver
Weight: 5 g
Diameter: 24 mm
Edge: Reeded
Die Axis: ↑↓
Mint: Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda, Lisbon, Portugal
Mintage: 250,000
