Somalia's late-1990s collector coinage was produced almost entirely for the export numismatic market — the country had no functioning central government at the time, and these issues were licensed to foreign minting agencies with no meaningful domestic circulation intended. The Caravelexplorer series sits squarely in that category.
The Niña, smallest of Columbus's 1492 fleet, was actually a nickname — her registered name was Santa Clara. She outlasted both the Pinta and the Santa María, completing a second Atlantic crossing in 1493 and surviving a severe storm off the Azores that sank several other vessels in the same convoy.
Somalia's late-1990s collector coinage was produced almost entirely for the export numismatic market — the country had no functioning central government at the time, and these issues were licensed to foreign minting agencies with no meaningful domestic circulation intended. The Caravelexplorer series sits squarely in that category.
The Niña, smallest of Columbus's 1492 fleet, was actually a nickname — her registered name was Santa Clara. She outlasted both the Pinta and the Santa María, completing a second Atlantic crossing in 1493 and surviving a severe storm off the Azores that sank several other vessels in the same convoy.