Issued as part of the Isle of Man Treasury's long-running commemorative crown program, this piece marks the 500th anniversary of Pizarro's birth — though the date itself is disputed, with some historians placing it as early as 1471. Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire with fewer than 200 men, executing Atahualpa in 1533 after extracting history's largest ransom in gold and silver. The irony of commemorating him on a copper-nickel coin is not lost on anyone familiar with the tonnage of Andean precious metal he redirected to Castile.
Issued as part of the Isle of Man Treasury's long-running commemorative crown program, this piece marks the 500th anniversary of Pizarro's birth — though the date itself is disputed, with some historians placing it as early as 1471. Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire with fewer than 200 men, executing Atahualpa in 1533 after extracting history's largest ransom in gold and silver. The irony of commemorating him on a copper-nickel coin is not lost on anyone familiar with the tonnage of Andean precious metal he redirected to Castile.