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500 Dollars - Elizabeth II Christopher Columbus
| Issuer | British Virgin Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1991 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Dollars (500 USD) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH THE SECOND · BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS · 1492-1992 · |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Franklin Mint (The Franklin Mint), Wawa, Pennsylvania, United States (1964-date) |
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| Additional information |
Issued as part of the broader wave of Columbus quincentenary commemoratives that flooded the market ahead of 1992, this BVI piece is notably struck in .500 fine gold — an unusual fineness chosen almost certainly to hit a lower price point while maintaining the optics of a gold issue. The 19.81g weight at half fineness yields roughly 10g of actual gold content, a figure that mattered considerably when bullion hovered around $360/oz in 1991.
The quincentenary market was badly oversaturated. Dozens of issuing authorities produced Columbus gold across 1991–92, and secondary market premiums on most collapsed within years of issue.