200 Escudos Westward Navigation, Gold

This piece belongs to Portugal's long-running Descobrimentos series, which the government used to anchor national identity during the lead-up to the 500th anniversary commemorations of the major Atlantic voyages. The 1991 program focused on westward navigation — specifically the techniques and instruments that made deep-ocean sailing viable, a body of knowledge the Portuguese refined through sustained crown investment in the late 15th century rather than through any single dramatic event.

The .917 fineness places it in the 22-karat standard Portugal adopted for its commemorative gold program of this era, consistent across the Gomes R102 type variants.