2000 Pesetas Merida

Mérida — ancient Emerita Augusta — was founded in 25 BC as a settlement for veterans of Augustus's Cantabrian Wars, and by the second century AD had become the capital of Hispania Lusitania, one of the wealthiest provincial capitals in the western empire. Spain's 1996 commemorative program tied this coin to the city's two-thousandth anniversary, a date that aligned neatly with UNESCO's eventual World Heritage designation of the Roman archaeological ensemble in 1993.

The Royal Mint issued this in both proof and brilliant uncirculated finishes. Surviving proof examples frequently show spotting in the fields — a recurring quality control issue with Spanish .925 silver strikes of this decade.