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5 Dollars - Elizabeth II La Princesa
| Issuer | Tuvalu |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing diademed and draped bust of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a tiara, drop earring, and necklace, as designed by Raphael David Maklouf, with the engraver's initials RDM visible at the truncation. The legend QUEEN ELIZABETH II arcs across the upper field, with the issuer name TUVALU and two bullet stops along the right periphery. The date 1999 is inscribed in large numerals across the lower field, flanked by two small bullet stops. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Detailed engraving of the Spanish frigate La Princesa under full sail, depicted three-quarters starboard, with multiple masts, billowing sails, rigging, and a rocky coastline visible to the lower left, riding stylised ocean waves. A dotted border frames the entire reverse field. The legend * FRANCISCO MOURELLE * arcs across the upper field, with the ship name "PRINCESA" to the upper right, the year 1781 at the right, and NANUMAGA - ISLA DEL COCAL inscribed around the left and lower periphery. The denomination $5 appears in the lower centre field. |
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| Additional information |
La Princesa was a Spanish register ship captured by British privateers off Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, in 1743 — one of the more lucrative prizes of the War of Austrian Succession's Pacific theater. The taking vessel was the Centurion, under Commodore George Anson, whose circumnavigation of the globe was already the stuff of Admiralty legend by the time he limped into Macao with his single surviving ship and a hold full of Spanish silver.
Tuvalu's late-1990s commemorative program leaned heavily on maritime history subjects, largely because the island nation's licensing arrangements with the Perth Mint made such themed issues commercially viable exports rather than coins intended for any domestic monetary use.