500 Tögrög Marco Polo - Homeward

Part of a multi-coin series issued by the Bank of Mongolia commemorating Marco Polo's travels, this piece covers the return leg of his journey — the 1292–1295 sea route from China through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean to Persia, escorting the Mongol princess Kököchin to her betrothed. Polo had spent 17 years in the service of Kublai Khan before the commission gave him his exit. The series was produced for the international collector market rather than domestic circulation, a common revenue strategy among smaller sovereign mints in the early 2000s.