Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Dollars Sir Francis Drake
| Issuer | Liberia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 38.6 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA THE LOVE OF LIBERTY BROUGHT US HERE 1999 REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA 5 DOLLARS |
| Reverse description | A draped bust of Sir Francis Drake, facing slightly left, is rendered in high relief occupying the right portion of the field, depicting him wearing an Elizabethan ruff collar and richly ornamented doublet with mustache and short beard. To the left in the mid-field, a detailed engraving of a full-rigged galleon under sail is depicted on the open sea, evoking Drake's celebrated circumnavigation of the globe. The legend SIR FRANCIS DRAKE arcs along the upper periphery in bold capital letters. The mirrored proof field provides a sharp contrast to the frosted devices. No additional inscriptions appear in the field. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Liberia's late-1990s commemorative program was a prolific and frankly commercial operation, producing dozens of silver issues annually for the collector market rather than any domestic monetary purpose. This Drake piece belongs to that wave. Most were struck by foreign mints under contract and never came close to Liberian shores.
Drake completed his circumnavigation in 1580 aboard the Golden Hind, returning to Plymouth with enough plundered Spanish treasure that Elizabeth I's share alone effectively cleared the Crown's entire foreign debt.