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500 Dollars - Elizabeth II Vitus Bering
| Issuer | British Virgin Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2011 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II in high relief, rendered in a refined portrait style consistent with the Ian Rank-Broadley coinage portrait. The legend BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS arcs along the upper left periphery, while QUEEN ELIZABETH II arcs along the upper right, with the date 2011 and the mint initials IRB positioned in the lower field. The portrait is set within a deeply struck, polished proof field that enhances the sculptural quality of the design. |
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| Obverse lettering | BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2011 IRB |
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| Additional information |
Vitus Bering, a Dane in Russian imperial service, led the Second Kamchatka Expedition of 1733–1743 — one of the most expensive undertakings in 18th-century Russian history, consuming roughly a sixth of the state's annual revenue at its peak. Bering never made it home; he died shipwrecked on the island that now bears his name in December 1741, scurvy-ridden, having confirmed the strait separating Asia from North America that he'd first crossed in 1728.
The British Virgin Islands has no geographic or historical connection to Bering whatsoever. This is a bullion-adjacent commemorative issued purely for the collector market, one of several oversized five-kilo silver pieces the BVI licensed during this period through external minting arrangements.